


When Worlds Collide

by Ardoa88



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cannon Pairings - Freeform, Carter is so done with Gods, Comfort/Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gen, How the heck did that happen?, Ignores Demigods and Magicians, My tags make no sense, Not really 'angst' more like stress, Percy is the mature one, Sadie has some trust issues, Setne's Back, Setne's still the most fashionable of them all, Stopping an Apocalypse, The Romans show up at some point to save the day, Zia meets Leo, it goes about as well as you'd expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 178,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26302708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardoa88/pseuds/Ardoa88
Summary: When Carter Kane left on a simple retrieval mission, he didn't expect it to go horribly wrong. Nor did he expect to meet a son of Poseidon and learn about a whole other world of monsters and gods he never knew existed. What he DOES know, is that someone's trying to destroy the world. Again. And it's up to him, Sadie, and his new friends to stop it. Just another day for the Kanes.
Comments: 159
Kudos: 129





	1. I Crack an Egg

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people of the AO3 world!
> 
> So, this is my first post on this website, bear with me as I struggle to figure out how the heck it works...  
> Anyway, um, I've been writing fanfiction for about 2.5 years now, and I was super encouraged by reading hella1975's The Art Of Burning to post here because you can actually respond to comments?!?! Like, what!?!? That's so cool, why doesn't FF.net allow that!!!
> 
> What else... um, I do not own these characters, I just borrowed them from Uncle Rick and threw them into a situation to see what they'd do. Spolier- things happen and I have NO control over what the outcome is (I wrote the story on a whim and had absolutely NO plot for the first half of it so... yeah. I floundered and this came out).
> 
> I'll try to post a chapter every other day or so (there are 36 in total), and if all goes well I'll begin to bring over some of the other stories I have on FF.net (or if you just wanna go read them over there because binge reading is very much so a thing and I 110% understand that waiting is not acceptable, that's fine too).
> 
> Have a great weekend all!

**(Carter POV)**

****

****

Let me say that, for the record, I never intended to burn down half of Central Park, nor did I mean to set fire to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I definitely didn’t plan on breaking the final seal that would awaken the Egyptian goddess of intoxication. Honest. It was an accident.

Maybe I should introduce myself.

I’m Carter Kane. Part-time high school freshman, part-time magician, full-time worrier about all the Egyptian gods and monsters who are constantly trying to kill me. Okay, that last part is an exaggeration. Not  _ all _ the gods want me dead. Just a lot of them- but that kind of goes with the territory, since I’m a magician in the House of Life. We’re like the police for Ancient Egyptian supernatural forces, making sure they don’t reap too much havoc in the modern world.

Well…  _ usually _ we’re the ones cleaning up the mess. Not creating it. We were just having a bad day. A monumentally bad day. It had started out like any other normal morning for us Kanes. Walt was getting ready for his date with Sadie, Jaz was up early brewing a fresh batch of healing potions, and Felix was playing basketball with his summoned team of penguins against our resident baboon, Khufu. You know, normal.

As for me, I was busy packing all the necessary magical tools I would need for the evening’s heist. Recently, we had gotten a call from our Uncle Amos, who was on an excavation trip at the ruins of Dendara, Egypt. Over the phone he explained that the lead archaeologist unearthed an Ancient Egyptian relic, one that was promptly sent to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for display and further study. Amos didn’t say what it was, exactly, seeing as he had arrived at the dig site after the fact. However, the room it had been taken from was apparently imbued with an ancient curse, one Amos was currently attempting to dispel. So while he was over in Egypt, rounding up herds of demon cows (yes, they exist and no, you  _ really _ don’t want to know), he had instructed me to retrieve the relic and keep it safe.

And of course, by ‘keep it safe’ he meant find some way to destroy it or otherwise ensure it could never be used again. 

After some research, and a lot of scrying, I had located the relic. It hadn’t been put on display, and the museums website refused to divulge its description, so I packed an arsenal for this evening’s mission. Enchanted rope, my curved ivory wand, a lump of wax for making a magical  _ shabti _ figurine, my calligraphy set, chalk, a few healing potions, two bottles of gatorade and a dozen sticks of chewing gum.

There was just one more thing I needed.

I concentrated and reached into the Duat. Over the last few months, I’d gotten better at storing emergency provisions in the shadow realm- extra weapons, clean clothes, Fruit by the Foot, and chilled six-packs of IBC Root Beer- but sticking my hand into a magical dimension still felt weird. Like pushing through layers of cold, heavy curtains.

I closed my fingers around the hilt of my sword and pulled it out- a heavy  _ khopesh _ with a blade curved like a question mark. Armed with my supplies and my sword, I was all set to go steal a precious artifact from one of the busiest museums in Manhattan. Cakewalk,right?

Riding the bus is one of the best ways to see the city. Especially the double decker busses, like the one I was currently on. I sat at the back of the second deck so as not to attract attention. Thankfully, most of the seats were filled with tourists, as evidenced by the multitude of cell phone camera’s eagerly snapping away at each new sight. It was a warm day, one of the warmest we’d had in awhile, and I welcomed the cool draft that caressed the upper level of the bus. The relaxation was short-lived, however, as we neared Madison avenue. I shuffled off of the bus with a handful of other riders, hearing a few mutter in speculation about the ‘instrument’ I was carrying.

Naturally, they were referring to my  _ khopesh _ , but for some reason mortals never seemed to see magical items for what they truly were. I recalled Amos saying that it had something to do with the fact that normal people couldn’t comprehend certain layers of the Duat, the magical force that surrounded everything. And therefore, mortals wouldn’t see a sword hanging at my waist, but rather, an instrument; probably a guitar, I speculated, based on the way one of the tourists mumbled something about untalented street performers. 

I headed west along Madison, doing my best to avoid the crowds of people heading in every which direction. It wasn't long before I was a mere street crossing away from my destination. The crossing light turned green and I began walking, detaching myself from the main bustle and sticking to the outskirts of the white-lined cross walk.

I angled myself to avoid a young couple heading my way. They both looked around eighteen, the boy was wearing jeans and a faded orange T-shirt that said CAMP something. I couldn't read the rest. His dark hair contrasted sharply with that of his girlfriend- at least, who I assumed was his girlfriend from the way she was practically clinging to his arm. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, the end of which reached down to the collar of her purple blouse. She wore dark jeans with an equally dark backpack slung over her shoulder. I could see a blue baseball cap clipped on the side strap.

As I got closer to them I heard the girl talking about the museum behind me. “They originally designed the Guggenheim’s second ramp to be twice as steep as the grand ramp-” She rambled on, her boyfriend rolling his eyes in a way that suggested this wasn't the first time he’d heard her conjecture. We were about five feet from each other when the boy’s eyes completed their observation of the sky and returned to the earth.

Unfortunately, they landed on me. Now, normally, this wouldn't have bothered me. So what if another mortal gave me a funny look? Even without my obscure apparel, my coppery skin and curly brown hair often drew curious passing glances. But something in his sea-green gaze was unsettling. His eyes lingered on my sword long enough for me to get the unnerving feeling that he actually  _ saw _ my  _ khopesh _ for what it was.

We passed each other without incident. I glanced back but he’d resumed his listening to the blond girl’s rant. With a shiver I turned back, fixing my gaze to the imposing structure before me and focusing on my task.

Taking the stone steps two at a time, I make my way into the museum. One of the security guards stopped me at the entrance, pointing to my  _ khopesh _ .

“No instruments allowed in the museum.” He said sternly.

“Oh,” I said, “Right. Of course.” Retreating a few steps to the side, I replaced my sword into the Duat. The guard glanced over as I returned.

“The museum will not be held responsible if someone steals your guitar while you’re inside.” he informed me.

I just shrugged, crossing the threshold into the museum.

If you’ve never been inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you should really rethink your vacation plans for the holidays. Their exhibits range from ancient chinese pottery to modern oil paintings to displays of arms and armor from the Islamic world to Caravaggio’s last two paintings. Each piece is accompanied by a small placard with as much information crammed into the small square as physically possible. The interior of the building is no less impressive, with towering dome ceilings carved and inlaid with gold and white marble columns spanning the multiple stories.

As for me, I generally would’ve stood, gaping, at each display, learning as much as I could absorb before a new item drew my attention. It’s not that I especially like art, Sadie always says I have no taste in color scheme (although, to be fair she’s usually referring to my wardrobe choice when she says that). But I  _ love _ information. Museums were second only to libraries, making up for a book store’s variety of knowledge with the fact that the item you were learning about is usually present- inside a museum display case, yes- but still within physical reach.

But today I had no such luxury. I had left the Brooklyn House around five o’clock. Zia and Cleo were off at a training session in the 16th Nome, and Sadie and Walt hadn’t returned from their private venture. When I tried to call her, Sadie’s phone went to voicemail. I left her a message, you know, the typical ‘Hey, sis. I’m heading out to go steal the relic Amos told us to retrieve. I’ll be back around midnight if all goes well. If not- um, send help. See you soon. Carter out’.

Not that I should need backup for tonight. It was a simple recovery mission, I assured myself. Sneak in, steal a relic, sneak out- and as a bonus, don’t get caught. I checked my watch, the hands read 7:30. The sun was just beginning to descend, the lights refracting off of the museum windows and tinting the rooms orange. Since it was a Saturday, I had a little under an hour and a half left before the galleries closed.

I made my way towards the Ancient Egyptian section of the museum. It was located upstairs near the back, the small space peppered with slabs of stone, scrolls, and a half dozen other objects that could very well have been from ancient Egypt. If not for the fact that most of them were fake. Not fake as in ‘not real’, that is. More like a ‘someone actually found this cheap imitation that is a worthless hunk of rock’ kind of fake. Only a few items buzzed with power. How could I tell? Well, Sadie and I devised a neat trick a month back where we can look into the Duat and see the energies of items that contain magical properties. It could appear as a colored aura, or sometimes as floating hieroglyphs.

Seeing as Amos had mentioned demon cows, I went off of the assumption that the aura I was searching for would be red. Red for ancient Egyptians generally meant bad. Catastrophically bad. So as I concentrated, pulling back the layers of the Duat carefully, I scanned the area for a harsh red aura.

It wasn’t hard to find.

As I’d suspected, the relic was in the storage room behind the exhibit. Seeing as it’s debut wasn’t for a few days, it made sense to keep a valued item behind lock and key. Such a shame that their precautions hadn’t factored in the skillset of a magician from the House of Life.

It was still too early, though. Still too many tourists around for me to go blasting magic spells around at will. So I made my way to the nearest bathroom, resigned to the fact that I would be spending the next hour or so hiding out in one of the stalls until the museum closed. Very exciting. As I made my way to the restroom, I caught a glance of an orange T-shirt from my peripherals.

Looking over, I saw Camper Boy and his girlfriend leaning against the stair railing, smiling at each other as they casually chatted about something or another. Strange. Hadn’t they been on their way to that other museum? I shook my head. It didn’t matter. Part of me wondered when I’d gotten so curious about the lives of others.

_ Maybe around the time yours ended? _ A snide thought whispered. I shook that off, too. Sure, my life had never really been what you could call ‘normal’. Unless your version of normal is travelling around the world with your dad who is a famous Egyptologist and secretly a magician of  _ Per Ankh _ . Although, compared to my life now, that sounded wonderfully ordinary.

Upon reaching the bathroom, I entered the farthest stall, taking out a piece of papyrus and scrawling the words ‘OUT OF ORDER’ on it with ink from my calligraphy kit. Then I unwrapped a stick of mint gum and chewed it for a good minute. I waited until that rare moment when the restroom was clear to stick the gum on the outside of my stall and firmly press the papyrus on top of the improvised adhesive.

That done, I sat back on my porcelain chair and settled in for a long bout of waiting. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep. Even mighty Carter Kane, head of the Brooklyn House could settle down for a nap every now and again.

I glanced at my watch as I stretched my stiff limbs- I don’t  _ ever _ recommend sleeping on a toilet. 10:23. As quietly as I could, I unlatched the stall door, listening for a good minute. Assuring myself that there was no security guard or janitor in the vicinity, I exited the restroom, slinking my way back to the Ancient Egyptian exhibition.

Unlocking the storage door with a simple spell, I walked through the small stack of boxes and crates until I came upon the small chest with the red aura. I reached into the Duat and produced my  _ khopesh _ , gripping the hilt as I undid the brass clasp. I took a deep breath, preparing myself to face whatever horrors may emerge from the chest.

I flung open the lid. Looked inside. And said, “You can’t be serious.”

Cradled in a pile of reeds and green packing peanuts was a golden egg almost as big as my chest. It’s polished surface gleamed under the emergency lights, the soft sheen marred only by a small hieroglyph that resembled some kind of bird. A crane, or a heron, perhaps.

Holstering my sword, I reached inside and lifted the golden egg out of it’s container, marveling at how light it was. Some part of my mind reasoned it must’ve been hollow, otherwise the solid gold elliptic object would’ve weighed a ton. Relic in hand- as it was much too large to try to secure in my satchel- I exited the storage unit, pleased that the recovery had gone unhindered.

I should’ve known that things were never easy when the Kanes were involved.

As I reentered the exhibit, I found myself facing down the orange-shirted Camper Boy. For a second I wondered where his girlfriend was. Then my gaze noticed that he now he had a sword. A very long, sharp looking sword. Currently he was leaning against the glass case of a pottery display, the tip of his sword pointing towards the floor. He looked up as I exited, sea-green eyes narrowing as they saw the object within my grasp.

“Stealing?” He seemed genuinely surprised. “That’s new. Normally your kind focuses on killing, not thievery.”

I frowned. By ‘your kind’ I assumed he meant monsters, in which case he must be a magician. The thing was, I’d met most of the magicians in the North American nomes, and I’d never seen this guy before. Everything about him seemed…  _ un-Egyptian _ . “I’m not a monster. And I’m not stealing.” I replied, moving my hand to the hilt of my  _ khopesh _ .

“Oh?” Camper Boy glanced pointedly at the relic, “So you’re not taking that golden globe without permission?”

He had a point. “I prefer the term ‘repossession’. Who are you anyway? Why were you following me around?” I began circling towards the exit, if I could distract him long enough, I might be able to escape.

Camper Boy pushed away from the display case, moving to cut me off, “Name’s Percy Jackson.” He declared, as if he expected me to know who that was, as if he had said he was Kim Kardashian. “And I specialize in hunting your kind.”

“I’m not a monster.” I repeated.

“Never said you were.” Percy shrugged. “But when one of Kronos’ rogue demigod lackeys pops up to cause trouble, we usually try to stop them. You, in this instance.”

Most of what Camper Boy had just said made no sense. One thing that was clear, however, was that he wasn’t going to just let me walk out with the relic. “Look,” I said. “I really don’t have time for this. And I really don’t want to hurt you so please-”

He laughed. It wasn’t an evil ‘Muahaha, you are mine’ kind of laugh, but more of a ‘did you really just say that?’ chuckle. “Sorry,” Percy said. “But you won’t be hurting anyone. Let alone me.”

Before I could respond, the golden egg was wrenched from my grasp by some invisible force. I gaped as it hovered in the air at chest height, then watched it slowly move towards Percy. I had no idea what kind of magic he was using, but I couldn’t let him take the relic.

I held out my hand and cried, “ _ Tati’ili _ !” Watching as the resulting hieroglyphs burned gold in the air before me: Come to me.

The egg jerked away from Percy and back into my outstretched arms.

“What the-?” The feminine voice seemed to emerge from where the egg had been just moments ago; Camper Boy’s expression of shock matched the words. I frowned at the feminine voice, lowering my gaze into the Duat to see blue symbols hovering in the shape of a girl. The markings weren’t Egyptian, however, but some other ancient language. When I looked again from the real world, there was no one there.  _ She’s invisible _ , I realized, now knowing why I hadn’t seen the blond.

I made a dash for the exit while Percy was still stumped, but my movement seemed to snap him out of his daze. He ran after me, easily gaining with his athletic build. Not that I wasn’t fit, I’d spent the last few years fighting monsters and Egyptian gods and playing basketball with Khufu and his baboons (baboons don’t mess around when it comes to hoops). But Camper Boy caught up with me as I neared the central staircase, discarding his sword in favor of tackling me to the ground.

Thankfully, gravity pulled me down before I could tumble down the stone steps. Unfortunately, upon impacting the ground, I lost my grip on the golden egg and it rolled over the edge of the top step. As if someone had paused our fight, Percy and I watched as the egg tumbled down the flight of stairs, hearing the sickening crack as if finally came to a rest at the bottom.

From our vantage, I could see the deep chasm that had spread like a spiderweb throughout the surface of the relic. Every bone in my body was screaming DANGER! I knew from experience that breaking magical items was never a good idea. They usually tended to explode if mishandled.

Lucky for us, this one simply turned to ash before our eyes.

And  _ then _ it spontaneously combusted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> This story will be updated every other day, so there won't be a long wait between chapters!
> 
> <3


	2. Ashes Ashes, We All Almost Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carter meets some weird magicians, Annabeth has a revelation, and Percy is very, VERY confused.
> 
> Oh... and the Metropolitan Museum catches fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright my peeps, let's get rocking and rolling!!! It is 7:15 a.m. and I have no impulse control so it's time to post, baby!
> 
> Thanks to all who left kudos and reviews :D

**(Percy POV)**

Percy thought he had seen it all. He’d been to the underworld and back, trudged through the depths of Tartarus, learned of the existence of another camp for Roman Demigods, and he’d even defeated the Earth Mother Gaea and her hordes of monsters.

But strange glowing golden symbols? That was a new one.

The day had started out well enough, Percy and his girlfriend Annabeth had taken the day off, deciding to go into the city and enjoy a simple date. They went to the movies, strolled through the mall- Annabeth spent two hours in the bookstore-, ate at P.J. Clarkes for lunch, and decided to end their day with a quick walk over to the Guggenheim Museum of Architecture.

Even Annabeth's incessant ramblings about the original design of the building couldn’t depress Percy’s mood as they made their way across the street. As his girlfriend fawned over the ramp design, Percy found himself looking at the sky, it’s blue expanse sprinkled with the occasional cloud. He sent a quick thanks to the Gods for allowing them this one day of peace.

The Gods, it seemed, had other plans.

As Percy’s eyes drifted back to the ground he noticed the boy. He couldn’t have been older than thirteen, maybe fourteen. The kid sported some weird white linen jammies (almost like a karate uniform) that clashed with his coppery complexion. His hair was black and curly, but what really drew the attention of the demigod was the weapon hanging at his belt. It wasn’t your typical sword like Riptide, instead it was bent, forming a squashed ‘u’ shape before connecting with the wooden pommel.

The kid’s dark hazel eyes locked with Percy’s for a moment as they passed, the Karate Kid frowning before Percy broke eye contact. Annabeth hadn’t seemed to even notice the kid, her mind still funnel focused on their upcoming tour of the Guggenheim.

She looked over at Percy, no doubt about to detail some other fascinating architectural phenomenon but stopped upon seeing his expression. “What’s wrong?” The blond asked.

“It’s nothing. Probably.” Percy said, glancing back over his shoulder at the kid, who had now reached the other side of the street.

Annabeth followed his gaze and her brows drew together. Percy would normally find that ‘I’m thinking’ expression amazingly cute, if not for the fact that he had the sense he’d just ruined the last portion of their perfect day. The bit Annabeth had been looking forward to the most. Just his luck.

The blond sighed. “We’re not going to the architecture museum anymore, are we?”

Percy shrugged, “We can still go. Let the police take care of the strange, sword-carrying Karate Kid.”

Annabeth threw him a sideways glare, her storm grey eyes narrowed. “Seaweed Brain, when have the police  _ ever _ been able to combat a sword-wielding demigod?”

And with that, the day turned from a casual date, to Percy and his girlfriend stalking the kid in the white pajamas. It wasn’t hard to trail him, his all-white clothing was easy to spot amidst the crowds of colorful hawaiian T-shirts and monotone tank tops that said ‘I Love NY’ with a heart representing the word ‘love’.

They watched as the Karate Kid headed for the back of the museum. He stood off to the side of the exhibit, eyes closed. He then opened them and slowly scanned the room, a hazel gaze lingering on the back door that read ‘STORAGE: Employees Only Past This Point’.

After staring for a good minute at the door, the Karate Kid nodded, turning and making his way towards a nearby men’s bathroom. Percy made to follow him, reaching into his pants pocket for his ballpoint pen but stopped at a touch on his arm. He looked over at Annabeth who shook her head.

“We don’t know why he’s here.” She reminded him. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

“Right, because he’s obviously here to fix the plumbing.” Percy muttered sarcastically. But he had to concede, Annabeth was right- she usually was, although Percy would never admit that to her, they didn’t know who this demigod was, or who his godly parent could be. Best to just wait and watch: the two things Percy had never really been good at doing.

After a half hour of surveying the restroom, Percy realized that the Karate Kid was waiting inside until the museum closed. Much in the same fashion he, Annabeth, and Grover had done five years back when he had been on a quest to locate Zeus’ stolen Master Bolt. Of course, that endeavor had resulted in the trio battling a hydra in order to retrieve a pearl from the statue of a goddess.

Good times.

As the exhibits began to close and tourists were ushered out by the security guards, Percy and Annabeth easily stole into the gift shop. Annabeth donned her blue Yankees baseball cap, the blond instantly vanishing from sight. Meanwhile, Percy ducked behind a shelf filled with mini, detailed paperweights of the museum. They waited for an hour and a half before emerging from their hiding spot.

By now, the blazing overhead fluorescent lights had been dimmed significantly. Percy and Annabeth made their way back towards the Ancient Egyptian exhibit, arriving just in time to see the Karate Kid hold his hand in front of the storage door. There was a brief golden flash,then the kid cracked open the previously locked door and slipped inside.

Percy looked at Annabeth, “Son of Apollo?” He wondered aloud. He knew the descendants of the Sun God could occasionally produce light from their palms.

Annabeth shook her head, “I don’t think so.”

“So what’s the plan, Wise Girl?”

She smiled at the old nickname. “When he comes out, you distract him. Then I’ll flank him from behind.”

“Wait-” Percy frowned, “Why am  _ I _ always the distraction?”

“Because you’re better at it, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth teased lightly, leaning up to give her boyfriend a quick kiss before placing the blue baseball cap on and disappearing.

“Fair point.” Percy grumbled, smiling despite himself. He moved over to a glass display case and uncapped his ballpoint pen. The tip grew, elongating to form his sword, Riptide. The demigod let his sword point down at the ground as he watched the door, waiting for their adversary to emerge.

Five minutes later, the Karate Kid returned, closing the storage door behind him. Percy’s eyes narrowed as he identified the golden, egg-shaped item cradled in the boy’s left arm.

“Stealing?” Percy was surprised. “That’s new. Normally your kind focuses on killing, not thievery.”

The kid frowned, his gaze sweeping over Percy. “I’m not a monster. And I’m not stealing.” He replied, moving his right hand to rest on the hilt of his sword.

“Oh?” Percy glanced pointedly at the relic, “So you’re not talking that golden globe without permission?”

The kid hesitated. “I prefer the term ‘repossession’. Who are you anyway? Why were you following me around?” He began circling towards the exit.

Percy pushed away from the display case, moving to cut him off, “Name’s Percy Jackson.” He declared. “And I specialize in hunting your kind.” The Karate Kid looked at him blankly. Percy sighed, he was still waiting for the time when the bad guy would see him and scream,  _ I give up! _ But it seemed that day would not be today.

“I’m not a monster.” The kid repeated.

“Never said you were.” Percy shrugged, wondering how long Annabeth planned to just sit back and watch the banter. “But when one of Kronos’ rogue demigod lackeys pops up to cause trouble, we usually try to stop them. You, in this instance.”

“Look,” The kid said, looking extremely confused. “I really don’t have time for this. And I really don’t want to hurt you, so please-”

Percy laughed. The thought that a little kid in linen jammies would be able to hurt  _ him _ , the demigod who’d defeated Kronos, was genuinely funny. “Sorry,” Percy said. “But you won’t be hurting anyone. Let alone me.”

Before the kid could respond, the golden egg was wrenched from his grasp by some invisible force. Annabeth, Percy realized with a smile.

The kid stared for a good three seconds before reacting, thrusting out his hand towards the item and shouting something that sounded like, “ _ Tatee- ehlee _ !” 

That’s when things really started to get weird.

As he said the word, glowing golden symbols blazed before the Karate Kid. The egg jerked away from Annabeth and back into his outstretched arms, as if pulled by some invisible string.

“What the-?” Annabeth must’ve been surprised, too.

The kid narrowed his eyes, staring at the exact spot where Annabeth had been standing. Some part of Percy’s brain realized that he must’ve seen through the cap’s invisibility. However the realization was horribly overwhelmed by the amount of shock lingering from the weird attack.

The Karate Kid made a dash for the exit, snapping Percy out of his daze. He ran after the kid, easily gaining on the boy. He could hear Annabeth following close behind. All of his time training at Camp Half-Blood and running from murderous mechanical bulls (yes, ‘bulls’ plural) made it easy to catch up with with the thief as he neared the central staircase. Percy discarded his sword in favor of tackling the kid to the ground, knowing that Riptide would reappear in his pocket soon enough.

They both tumbled to the floor, the thief losing his grip on the golden egg. Percy could only watch as it rolled over the edge of the top step. As if someone had paused their fight, Percy and the thief stared as the egg tumbled down the flight of stairs, both boys hearing the sickening crack as it finally came to a rest at the bottom.

Percy frowned as the kid went rigid.  _ Not good _ , he thought as the egg turned to ash before their eyes. As if that wasn’t strange enough, it then decided to spontaneously combust.

The heat blast was strong enough to send both boys tumbling away from the staircase. From the corner of his eye, Percy saw Annabeth stumble, but somehow manage to regain her footing as she made her way over to him. She helped him stand, both demigods proceeding to marvel at the impressive conflagration that now blazed in the center of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“Not good.” They heard the Karate Kid say. “Sadie will  _ never _ let me hear the end of this one.” He had pushed himself up and was now gripping an ivory stick in his left hand. He looked over at Percy and Annabeth, “What nome are you with?” He demanded.

“Dude, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Percy said. “I don’t hang out with gnomes. Satyrs, sometimes. Even Cyclopes. But not gnomes.”

The kid frowned, perplexed, as if he hadn’t understood Percy.  _ But that’s absurd _ , Percy thought,  _ there was no way this kid  _ wasn’t _ a demigod _ . He opened his mouth to say something but a large  _ CRACK _ drew all of their attention back to the fire. From within the umber depth of the flames, a shape was beginning to form. A long neck, oval body, taloned feet, a fanned tail and two wings were quickly unfolding from the flames.

The Karate Kid cursed in some strange language. “Get behind me, now!” He ordered, moving towards the staircase. Percy shared a glance with Annabeth who shrugged. They positioned themselves behind the kid as the giant bird in the fire screeched, beady black eyes snapping to the three figures that had woken it.

It reared its head back, wings fanning forwards as the Karate Kid raised his white stick, yelling, “ _ Na- daah _ !”

Again, the glowing gold symbols reappeared, different symbols, Percy realized. Suddenly, the trio was encased in a glowing sphere of golden light. It reminded Percy of the time they escaped the underworld using Poseidon's magic pearls. The barrier formed just as a tidal wave of flames bore down on them. The fire rolled harmlessly off of the sphere of light, burning everything surrounding it. The Karate Kid turned to face the demigods.

“That won’t hold for long.” He said, a thin sheen of sweat already beading on his forehead. “We have to come up with a plan on how to seal it.”

“What exactly is that thing?” Percy asked. “And why did you release it in the first place if you couldn’t control it?”

“I wasn’t  _ trying _ to release it, you-” The kid stopped, taking a deep breath. “I can explain later. But first we have to take care of the Bennu.”

“Bennu?” Annabeth’s eyebrows rose, “What’s a Bennu?”

Percy frowned. If this was a monster that even Annabeth hadn’t heard about, they were in more trouble than he thought.

“It’s a fire bird that’s reborn from its own ashes. It’s immortal.” The Karate Kid explained.

Annabeth’s face cleared, “Like a Phoenix?”

“A Phoenix? Like the Fall Out Boy’s song?” Percy asked, receiving two equally annoyed glares in response. “What?”

“Anyway,” The kid continued, his breathing coming in quicker breaths. “You can’t kill it.”

“We’ve heard that before.” Percy said, “I’ve vaporized plenty of  _ immortals _ and sent them back to Tartarus.”

The kid looked confused again. “N-No.” He said, “That monster is the protector of Ra.”

“Who’s Ra?” Percy asked.

“You know, Lord of the Sun? Egyptian god.”

The air seemed to turn electric as the two demigods stared at the Karate Kid. Percy glanced at the ivory stick, “Who are you, kid? Really.”

“Carter.” He said. “Carter Kane.”

Annabeth glanced at me, “Well then, Carter, if we can’t kill this Bennu how are we supposed to stop it?”

Carter frowned, wiping sweat from his brow. “I think if it comes in contact with water it’s powers diminish. If the blasted sprinkler system would just come on I might be able to seal it back in the relic.”

Percy didn’t really understand the second sentence, but from what Carter was saying, water was this thing’s weakness. “Leave it to me.” Percy smiled: he loved simple solutions. The demigod stood, arms outstretched towards the ceiling. He concentrated, feeling the soft guzzle of the pipes at his fingertips.

“Whatever you’re doing, make it quick.” Carter muttered through gritted teeth. The kid’s linen clothes were soaked with perspiration. Percy wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold the barrier.

With a grunt, Percy pulled his hands into his chest, releasing the water from it’s confines. The pipes spewed the clear liquid everywhere, the water hissing as it came in contact with the Bennu’s fiery feathers. The bird screeched, ending it’s barrage of flames and hurtling towards the exit, crashing through the wall as it made its way out into the streets of Manhattan.

“Great plan, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth rolled her eyes, “ _ Now _ how are we supposed to find it. It could be anywhere.”

“Hey,” Percy looked indignant. “I just saved our lives, didn’t I?”

“Yes… thank you for that.” Percy spun to see Carter rise unsteadily to his feet. The kid looked like he’d just run a marathon through the mud, but was otherwise okay. “And I don’t think it went far.” Carter added, looking at Annabeth. “The Bennu makes its nest out of aromatic wood before setting it on fire.”

“Cozy.” Percy muttered.

“And there aren’t many places in Manhattan that have a wealth of trees.” Annabeth said, catching on. “It’s going to Central Park!”

Carter nodded, “That’d be my guess.”

“Great!” Percy looked at his girlfriend and winked. “Fancy a relaxing, romantic stroll through the park?”

It wasn’t hard to spot the giant flaming bird at night. It had settled on the Great Lawn, right in between the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and a small lake known only as The Lake: The two biggest bodies of water in the park. Everything it’s wings touched burst into flames, and by the time the trio arrived, nearly a third of the park had been set alight, including a small row of porta-potties that had been set up near the Delecorte Theater. The giant bird was currently looking around, as if deciding which tree would look better when it was on fire.

“So how do we seal the Bennu?” Annabeth asked as we crouched behind a metal park bench.

Carter hesitated. “Carefully.”

“You mean you don’t know?” Percy was incredulous.

Carter rummaged through his satchel, his eyebrows drawn. “I mean I’ll figure it out.” He pulled out some of his supplies, including a length of rope, a clump of wax and a half-full bottle of red Gatorade. Then Carter produced a small bag of colored chalk and smiled. “Got it!”

“What are you going to do? Color it to death?” Percy asked.

Annabeth, who had been keeping her eye on the fire bird, spoke up. “I don’t think it’s satisfied with the quality of wood here, guys.” Percy and Carter looked over to see that, indeed, the Bennu appeared to be most displeased with the burning trees around it.

Carter cast his gaze around, eyes snaring onto something in the distance. “I have an idea.” He said, looking at the two demigods. “But I’ll need a few minutes to get it ready and we  _ can’t _ let the bird leave this park. That means no scaring it off by dousing it with water, either.” He added, looking over at Percy, “Although I have no idea what spell you used back in the museum.”

“We can buy you some time.” Annabeth assured him.

“Yea.” Percy nodded. “Just don’t take too long, okay? I don’t fancy being turned into a crispy demi-kabob.”

Carter didn’t seem to know how to respond to that so instead he nodded, opening the bag of chalk and beginning to draw on the sidewalk. Annabeth put on her baseball cap as Percy turned and ran towards The Lake.

“Hey! Birdbrain!” He yelled, successfully drawing the attention of the monster. Now that he had it, however, Percy wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. “Uh… Why did the chicken cross the road?”

The Bennu screeched, rearing back and flaring its wings. Maybe it didn’t like being called a chicken, maybe it thought the demigod would taste like chicken, or maybe it just didn’t like jokes. Either way, Percy had to engulf himself in water from The Lake to avoid becoming a burnt humanoid from the onslaught of flames. The mix of fire and water produced a cloud of steam that rose into the air with a sizzle. The flames receded and the steam dissipated, Percy dropping his aquatic armor. The bird squawked in confusion, tilting its head as if to say  _ ‘How are you not dead?’ _ .

“Sorry.” Percy smiled. “But I don’t die that easily.” From his peripherals Percy could see Carter scribbling furiously on the sidewalk.

The Bennu reared back for another barrage when it suddenly turned, shrieking at something behind it. Annabeth, Percy realized with a quick jolt of fear for his girlfriend. Percy had complete confidence that Annabeth knew what she was doing, what he  _ wasn’t _ confident about was the fact that she would be able to evade a wide burst of flames.

“Over here, smoke breath!” He yelled, waving his arms to attract the monster’s gaze. Percy glanced at Carter as he ran, seeing that he was now decorating the circle with those weird symbols, using several different colors of chalk.

_ By all means, _ Percy thought in frustration.  _ Take your sweet time and make it pretty _ .

The Bennu looked back and forth for a moment, as if confused. Then it decided to attack the mortal it could actually  _ see _ , swiping in with it’s razor sharp talons. Percy drew Riptide and parried, the force of the blow knocking him off his feet. Percy was airborne for a good two seconds before crashing to the ground, landing on his shoulder and rolling to a hard stop.

He tried to push himself up, grunting at the sharp pain in his right shoulder.  _ Yup, _ Percy thought.  _ Definitely broken _ . As he stood, the world listed sideways and he fell back to his knees, head reeling. From somewhere in the distance he heard a female voice shout his name. Annabeth, his sluggish mind consummated.

Percy could see the Bennu rearing back for one final, finishing blow. It’s head lunged forwards, beak open wide.

“ _ TYET! _ ” Carter hollered from across the yard.

There was an explosion of silver. A giant symbol that looked like a strange gingerbread man enveloped the creature in a see-through coffin, the bird screeching as its wings were pinned to its side. Carter was still shouting.

“I name you Bennu, Protector of Ra! Devourer of… um, trees and porta-potties! I bind you with the power of Isis.”

Annabeth appeared before Percy, concern creasing her face as she helped him to stand. With her help, Percy managed to wobble over to where Carter was busy drawing more symbols on the ground. This time in front of an obelisk statue engraved with runes.

He looked up as the two demigods drew close, Percy could see that the coffin thing had drained the kid more than the barrier. Carter’s face was ashen and his chest heaved with heavy breaths. “There’s a healing potion in my bag.” Carter told Annabeth. She set Percy down gently before rummaging through the satchel. Carter kept talking. “That won’t hold it for long.” He said, gesturing to the glowing coffin. “Divine words have never been my specialty and I’m not that great at channeling the power of Isis. We’ve got three minutes at best before the Bennu breaks free.”

Percy had understood maybe three words of Carter’s spheal.

Annabeth found a cork stoppered ceramic vial, eyeing it warily. “Is this it?” She asked.

Carter nodded and Percy felt his girlfriend tip some of the liquid down his throat. He gagged, it tasted like his mother's homemade cookies only… as if they were burnt.  _ Nectar? _ He felt the effects immediately, groaning as his bones reattached themselves. His vision cleared and the pounding in his head receded enough for him to understand the next part of Carter’s plan.

“How much control over water do you have?” He asked, looking at Percy.

“A fair amount. Why?”

Carter let out a breath. “Okay, good. I’m going to open a portal to Alexandria. Once I’ve done that you need to push the Bennu through.”

The demigods stared at the kid in the white pajamas.

“A… portal?” Annabeth ventured. “To Alexandria… Alexandria,  _ Egypt _ ?”

“Where else.” Carter replied seriously.

Percy blinked at them. “You know what- sure, why not. This day’s already plenty weird, why shouldn’t we open a portal from Manhattan to halfway around the world. What do I need to do?”

“Be ready.” Carter said. “The portal won’t be open for long. As soon as it does-”

“Push the chicken into it.” Percy completed. “Sounds easy enough.” He stood and walked towards the monster, who was thrashing within the confines of it’s silver coffin. Behind him he heard Carter chanting. Holding out his hands, Percy summoned water from the two lakes, clasping his hands and drawing them back towards his head. In response, the water swirled next to the Bennu, who fought harder against his magical confines at the sight of the liquid.

Percy watched as a blue light flashed above the obelisk. A swirling sand vortex appeared, growing until it was large enough to consume a small house.

“NOW!” Carter shouted.

Percy swung his hands as if he were holding a baseball bat, the water surging forwards and driving the encased Bennu into the portal. The water pounded the sides of the obelisk and doused the east wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As soon as the vortex closed, Percy released his hold on the water, breathing heavily. Then he smiled.

“Home run!” He pounded the air with a fist. “Knocked it out of the park. Literally.”

“Carter!”

The panic in Annabeth’s voice drew Percy’s focus as he ran over. The kid had collapsed, eyes rolled back in his head. He muttered incoherently as steam rose from his sleeves. Annabeth looked helplessly at Percy and for the first time, he saw that the daughter of Athena had no idea what to do.

Then Carter inhaled sharply, his body shuddering. His eyelids fluttered and he looked around in confusion before understanding dawned on his features. “Right.” Carter muttered weakly, pressing a hand to his forehead. “Note to self- let Sadie open any portals from now on.”

Percy and Annabeth let out mirrored sighs of relief.

“Thank the gods.” Percy offered the kid a hand up. “You were literally steaming.”

“Hazard of the trade.” Carter replied, taking the offered hand. Annabeth helped steady him as he swayed. “Too much magic, and I can literally burn up. That’s about as close to self-immolation as I’d like to come today.”

Percy nodded. He’d been a bit jealous of all the cool spells Carter could cast, but now he was glad to be just a demigod. “No more magic for you.”

Carter chuckled as he swigged down the other health potion. “No, not for a-” He stopped mid sentence. His eyes had widened and whatever color there had been in his face was now gone. “Oh, no.” He stumbled over to the obelisk and Percy saw what had caused the alarm.

There was a large crack running down the length of the stone, nearly splitting it in half.

“What?” Annabeth frowned. “What’s the matter.”

Before Carter could answer, the crack shone with a radiant white light and they were all blown back by a blast of power. As he crashed into the ground for the  _ second _ time that evening, Percy heard a feminine voice say the two words you  _ never _ want to hear spoken by something that just blasted a demigod.

“ _ I’m free! _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Just as a heads up, if you like Leo Valdez as much as I do (which I doubt, and those ARE fighting words, come at me bro!) then I encourage you to check out "Leo's Logbook". Because I have no patience and wanted to post a chapter a day, I decided that instead I would just switch between posting a chapter to WWC and LL to satisfy my lack of impulse control.
> 
> I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!


	3. Wonder Woman Jump Starts the Apocalypse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Sadie and Walt save the day, Annabeth learns something new (imagine that!), Carter tries intimidation (it doesn't work), and the world really should get life insurance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Plus- guess who decided to actually READ through the chapter before posting it and made a few EDITS to what was already there (because oh my gods does this story need a LOT of minor edits)... that's right- me. I actually went back and changed some minor things because what else would I do with my time? Physics HW? Nah...

**(Annabeth POV)**

Annabeth was beginning to regret not bringing her celestial bronze dagger on their date. _It’s only for one day_ , she had told herself when they left Camp Half-Blood. _What could_ possibly _happen?_ The only thing the daughter of Athena hated worse than being wrong, was the fact that she had been sidelined for practically the entire fight against the Bennu. But they’d been successful. Banishing the monster into the sand vortex and saving Central Park from burning down completely.

Then the obelisk had been cracked, and the next thing she knew, Annabeth was spitting a lump of dirt from her mouth.

“ _I’m free!_ ”

 _Well_ that’s _never good_. Annabeth decided, looking up to see who the feminine voice belonged to.

She did not expect to see Wonder Woman.

The raven haired lady was donned in a paneled blue and white skirt with gold trim that reached above her knees. Red ribbons twisted around her tanned calves, connecting to her equally crimson sandals. A pair of copper bracers lined her forearms. A scarlet corset style top was crowned with a gold shoulder collar that flared up at the tips. A glowing rope hung at her waist, as did a gladius-style sword with an ivory hilt.

The only strange contradiction to the superhero look was the horned headdress and the absurdly heavy eyeliner.

Annabeth didn’t have the time to focus on the strange fashion sense. For the moment, Wonder Woman was distracted, inspecting the crack in the obelisk. She seemed to be studying the fissure with mild satisfaction. Annabeth looked over to see Percy crawl behind an overturned park bench, dragging Carter to the makeshift cover. He caught her gaze and made a ‘come here’ motion with his hand. Annabeth slinked over, crouching next to the boys.

“You okay?” Percy asked.

Annabeth nodded, “Surprised, but managing.” She looked at Carter, “So _what_ exactly just happened? Why was Wonder Woman celebrating freedom?”

Percy frowned at his girlfriend. “Why _wouldn’t_ Wonder Woman celebrate freedom? Isn’t that, y’know, her job?”

Annabeth shot him one of her signature ‘you’re-trying-to-be-cute-but-it’s-not-working’ glares.

“When Percy pushed the Bennu into the portal, the water pressure must’ve cracked the obelisk.” Carter explained.

“And that’s… a bad thing?” Percy raised an eyebrow.

Carter nodded grimly, “Very. Obelisks, pyramids, and sphinxes are some of the most powerful symbols in Ancient Egypt. They can be used to perform incredible feats of magic. The portals for instance.” He explained.

Annabeth nodded, understanding some of what the kid had said. “And Wonder Woman?”

“My guess, she’s a god.” Carter’s words were sour, like interacting with the gods was a bad thing (a viewpoint Annabeth could somewhat agree with). “One sealed within Cleopatra's Needle. That obelisk.” He elaborated as Percy opened his mouth to ask a question. He glanced through the gaps in the metal bench, observing the woman as she flexed her limbs. “A cow horned headdress… oh no.”

“Every time you say that something ends up exploding.” Percy pointed out.

Carter scowled. “It’s Hathor. Daughter of Ra, patron goddess of women, love, beauty, pleasure and music.”

Annabeth frowned. “Sounds like a friendly god. Why was she imprisoned within the obelisk?”

“It may have had something to do with the fact that she massacred over half of the population of the Naqada province a few millennia ago,” Carter suggested with a shrug.

“Oh.” Percy said.

Ever articulate, her boyfriend was.

“So how do we stop her?” Annabeth asked. “Can we seal her back in that needle thing?”

Carter shook his head. “Wouldn’t work, the obelisk is broken. Literally. Even if it was still functional, I don’t have near enough energy to do something like that.” It was true, the kid looked like he could barely stand, let alone cast a spell. Annabeth regretted even suggesting it. Carter had _just_ mentioned that using too much magic could _literally_ cause him to burn up.

“So how do we stop Wonder Woman?” Percy asked again.

Carter looked between the two demigods, Annabeth could see the flash of uncertainty in the thirteen-year-olds hickory eyes. It was quickly masked with staunch determination. The demigods watched as Carter proceeded to close his eyes and reach out with his hand, the appendage vanishing as if it had slipped behind an invisible curtain. When he retracted it, Carter was holding another ivory stick in his grasp.

“We don’t.” He explained. “Strategic retreat is our best option.”

“You want to run away?” Percy’s brows drew together. Backing down from a fight wasn’t exactly his style.

“If that means living to fight another day, then yes.” Carter replied.

“It’s a good idea.” Both boys turned their eyes on Annabeth. Percy looked incredulous while Carter’s brows rose, like he was surprised the blond was agreeing with him. “We don’t know how to stop her, and even if we did, we clearly don’t have the means to do it as of now.” Annabeth continued, speaking more to Percy. “Retreat, gather intel, then attack. It’s a solid plan.”

Her boyfriend hesitated for a long moment. Then he sighed. “Okay. Let’s book it.”

Of course, that was the moment that Wonder Woman finished relishing in her newfound freedom. The overturned metal bench they’d been crouched behind was ripped from the ground, a golden rope slinging it to the side where it crashed into the back wall of the museum. Wonder Woman retracted her whip, smiling at the trio with teeth so white it would rival that of the actors in Hollywood. An elegant eyebrow rose at the sight of them.

“To be sent an offering so soon after my return, Ra must welcome my restoration.” Wonder Woman declared silkily as Annabeth, Percy, and Carter stood, facing the goddess. Percy brandished Riptide, Carter raised his ivory stick, and Annabeth… after a brief glance around she grabbed a fallen branch whose end was still glowing with hot embers.

The makeshift weapon felt woefully inadequate given the circumstance.

The goddess seemed to agree, huffing in amusement. “The Blood of the Pharaohs and…” Hathor paused as she regarded the demigods. “The blood of Olympians?” She shrugged. “Unorthodox, I’ll admit. I shall enjoy consuming your essences all the same.”

“No one will be consuming our essence.” Carter growled.

“Yeah, gonna have to pass on that one.” Percy added.

Hathor narrowed her eyes at the kid. Recognition flickered across her face, “Carter Kane, I presume? I’ve learned _much_ about you; oh the things one hears while floating in the endless void of the Duat.”

“That’s never good.” Percy muttered. Annabeth agreed silently, hands tightening on the tree branch. Whenever an evil being knew your first _and_ last name, it usually meant bad news.

Carter seemed unfazed, lifting his chin slightly and staring down the Wonder Woman goddess. “If you know of me then you must know that I am the one who restored Ra to his throne of fire and banished Apophis to the deepest layers of the Duat. I have defeated Set, I have reinstated Ma’at. I am the Eye of Horus, Leader of the Twenty-First Nome, Pharaoh of Per Ankh.” Carter took a step towards the goddess, voice lowering dangerously. “If you know of me then you know it would be unwise to cross me.”

“Is he bluffing?” Percy whispered to his girlfriend.

Annabeth shrugged, she didn’t really understand most of what Carter had said, but the titles and achievements sounded impressive. If it was a lie, it was a good one, delivered with the confidence of truth.

Hathor didn’t seem to think it was a bluff. Her smile faltered, eyes narrowing as she regarded the younger boy. Annabeth allowed herself to have an ounce of hope that the goddess would simply back down. Then Hathor’s lips curled. _Of course not_ , the daughter of Athena sighed, _because when has that_ ever _happened?_

“You magical reserves are dwindling, O’Pharaoh.” The title spoken with biting sarcasm.

In her peripherals, Annabeth saw Carter wince.

“And unfortunately for you, I have a family reunion to orchestrate.” Hathor continued, taking a slow step forward. Carter rooted his stance, raising the stick. “Your essence alone shall sustain me for the duration.”

The goddess raised her arms and a scarlet hieroglyph blazed above her head. An _Ankh_ , Annabeth realized, _the symbol of life_. Crimson tendrils streaked towards the trio.

Carter raised the ivory stick. “ _N’dah!_ ” He cried, the protective barrier forming once more between them and the danger. The red tendrils recoiled upon impact and Annabeth saw Hathor scowl.

Then Carter fell to his knees.

Annabeth and Percy rushed to his side, the former discarding her makeshift weapon to catch the kid with both hands as he slumped back. His clothes were steaming again, the smoke curling from the white linen cloth. The protective barrier flickered around them as Carter struggled to stay conscious.

“Run.” The kid managed to say between labored breaths.

Percy shook his head, keeping one eye on the goddess. “Not without you, buddy.”

“No… time…” Carter was having trouble speaking. His face was contorted in pain.

“Live to fight another day, yeah?” Annabeth quoted, shoving down her rising panic. “That applies to all of us. Carter, drop the shield. Percy can cover us. We’re all getting out. Alive.” Before the kid could respond, they all heard a strange sound from above.

“ _FREEAAAKKKKK!_ ”

The noise roused Carter enough for the kid to raise his gaze towards the sky. “Sadie.” He mumbled, before his eyes proceeded to roll back in his head. Their shield vanished. Percy summoned a tidal wave as Annabeth slung Carter’s arm over her shoulder, hauling the skinny kid up.

“ _TAS!_ ” A female voice commanded. The wall of water smashed into the goddess, pushing her up against the obelisk, and at the same time, a glowing length of rope bound her to the stone structure. As if things couldn’t get weirder for the two demigods, a gryphon landed on their right, pulling what appeared to be a reed barque boat with painted eyes on the prow.

A girl and boy, both dressed in clothing similar to Carter jumped out of the basket-like contraption.

The girl was holding a five foot long, white wooden staff, carved with the head of an eagle , the whole length of which was glowing like Celestial bronze. She couldn’t have been older than thirteen. Annabeth felt a sense of deja vu. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, long blond hair streaked with purple highlights. The girl looked a lot like a child of Athena- ready for combat, quick and alert and fearless. It was almost as if Annabeth was seeing herself from four years ago.

“Right.” She huffed as she looked around,brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. “Because my day wasn’t barmy enough already.”

 _British?_ Annabeth blinked.

The boy was sporting a sleeveless muscle shirt and some equally dark grey pants. A black bag was slung over his shoulder and he had more pendants hanging around his neck than any Jewelry store Annabeth knew. His chocolate brown eyes scanned the area, finally resting on the goddess tied to the cracked obelisk.

“Hathor.” He scowled.

Wonder Woman seemed surprised, her hair still dripping from the unintended shower. “Anubis? I see you’ve found a host.”

The girl glanced at her companion, “Friend of yours?” She teased.

“Hardly.” The boy replied with a snort.

“Two Kanes, a host of Anubis, and two children of Olympus is a bit much, even for me.” Hathor admitted with a grimace. “I think I’ll retreat for now.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Muscle shirt boy said, raising a hand towards her. “We’ll be sending you back to the Duat.”

The goddess smiled, disintegrating into sand. The boy cursed.

“I _hate_ it when they do that.” The girl sighed. Annabeth and Percy exchanged a look, both equally confounded as to this new development. The girl looked over at them, her eyes lingering on the limp form of Carter. “Dear me. It seems my brother’s gone and done it again.” Despite her air of nonchalance, the daughter of Athena could detect an undertone of genuine concern.

 _Brother?_ Annabeth could tell that Percy was thinking the same thing. _They look nothing alike_.

The girl walked over to Carter, placing a hand on his head and muttering a word. Another hieroglyph blazed briefly over her wrist. Color rushed back into the boy’s face and he gasped, eyes flying open.

“Right.” The girl said with a note of finality in her voice. “Let’s make a deal, you stick to combat magic, and leave the divine words to me, ‘kay?”

“Sadie?” Carter muttered, steadying himself on his own feet.

“The one and only.” The girl flashed a stunning smile. “And you’re welcome, by the way. So-” Sadie looked at the two demigods, “-you gonna introduce us to your new friends?”

“Oh, uh, sure.” Carter looked at Percy and Annabeth, “Guys, this is my sister, Sadie, and her boyfriend, Walt. Sadie, Walt, meet Percy and, um…” The kid hesitated, looking back at the daughter of Athena. “Actually, I never caught your name.”

“We were a bit busy for proper introductions,” Annabeth said with a rueful grin, “I’m Annabeth. Annabeth Chase.” She held out a hand.

“A pleasure.” Sadie said, taking the offered arm. “So, what nome are you with?”

“Again with the gnomes.” Percy grumbled.

Annabeth realized that Sadie was talking about some sort of group. In Greek the word literally meant ‘to divide’. Carter had claimed he was the leader of the twenty first nome, so Annabeth reasoned that meant there were at least twenty other groups out there.

“We’re not in a nome. We’re demigods.” Annabeth explained.

“Ah,” Sadie tapped the side of her staff. “Sorry, that’s a new one to me. A _demon god?_ ”

“Demigod,” Annabeth corrected. “Half god, half mortal.”

“Oh, right.” Sadie exhaled, clearly relieved. “I’ve hosted Isis in my head quite a few times. Carter’s hosted Horus. And Walt here is currently hosting Anubis.” She stated, waving to the boys in turn. As the girls had been talking, the two boys had left to go inspect the crack in Cleopatra's Needle. “So, who’s _your_ special friend.”

“My- No. I don’t _host_ anybody. My mother is a Greek goddess, Athena.”

“Your mother.”

“Yeah.”

“A goddess. A _Greek_ goddess.”

“Yup.” Annabeth noticed that the girl had gone slightly pale.

“My dad’s Poseidon.” Percy added.

“I’m guessing you don't have that kind of thing, um, where you’re from.” Annabeth assumed.

“Brooklyn?” Sadie mused, fingers tapping the side of her staff. “No, don't think so. Or London. Or Los Angeles. I don't recall meeting Greek _demigods_ in any of those places. Still, when one has dealt with magical baboons, goddess cats, and dwarfs in speedos, one can't be surprised very easily.”

Annabeth wasn't sure she'd heard right.

It seemed Percy didn't either, “Dwarfs in speedos?”

“Mmmhm.” Sadie hummed noncommittally, glancing at the obelisk. “Shall we go observe the damage, then?” Without waiting the girl turned and strode over to her similarly dressed companions. Percy and Annabeth hung back for a second.

“I, for one, am slightly overwhelmed.” Her boyfriend stated. “Did you understand _anything_ that was just said in the last five minutes.”

Annabeth hesitated. It felt like she was standing on a cliff, on the edge of a discovery that would open up a new world of understanding. The daughter of Athena was usually a confident person. Whenever she dealt with regular mortals, she carried a smug certainty that she possessed secret knowledge. She understood the world of gods and monsters. Mortals didn’t have a clue. Even among other demigods, Annabeth was always the most seasoned veteran. She’d done more than most heroes had ever dreamed of, and she’d survived.

Now, Annabeth felt like a six-year-old kid again, just learning how terrible and dangerous the world really was. Finally she said, “I’m not sure I completely understand it, but I don’t think this is over. Not by a long shot.”

Percy nodded, “I agree.”

“You do?” Annabeth gave him a sideways glance. “Or are you just trying to say that I’m right?”

“You’re always right.” Percy answered with a smile, before leaning down and kissing the blond. Their lips remained locked for the better part of five seconds before the initiator pulled away. Annabeth resisted the urge to pull her boyfriend in for round two, settling for a satisfied grin as she turned towards the others.

“Let’s go see what we’ve destroyed this time.”

As they approached, Carter and Walt looked up from what seemed to be a deep conversation. Carter gave them a forced smile. “There’s good news and bad news.”  
“I highly doubt there’s good news.” Percy remarked sarcastically. “With our luck, we’ve probably jump started another godly plan to end the world.”

Carter and Walt exchanged a glance.

“Wait. We didn’t… did we?” Percy’s tone was serious.

“No.” Carter assured hurriedly. “At least, we don’t think so.”

“I hate that word.” Sadie grumbled. “Thinking is overrated.”

Annabeth folded her arms. “So what’s the _good_ news?”

“Well,” Carter said. “Good news, Walt thinks he knows of a way to track Hathor, and he has a plan on how to capture her.”

“Really? How?”

Walt looked at Annabeth, “When Ra sent Hathor to punish the human race for their wickedness, he didn’t anticipate the total destruction she would wrought upon the world.”

“Ra was horrified at what his daughter had done,” Carter picked up the explanation, his eyes alight as he explained the history of the goddess. “So, determined to ensure such damage could never occur again, Ra devised a plan. He tricked her by preparing vast quantities of alcohol mixed with mandrake and the blood of the slain. Hathor, parched from a long day of killing, she drank the concoction, which she believed to be the blood of her victims, and became so intoxicated, Ra was able to seal her within the Duat.”

“So the goddess’s weakness is… beer? That’s the same weakness as Smelly Gabe.” Percy frowned, recalling his first stepdad.

“Essentially.” Walt nodded. “Although, convincing her to drink the amount needed to subdue her will be a challenge.”

Sadie snorted, “Just invite her to an Irish pub. Problem solved.”

“So wait, what’s the bad news, then?” Annabeth interjected.

Carter glanced at Walt, “That’s… a bit harder to explain. It has to do with the inscription on Cleopatra’s Needle.”

“Why?” Percy folded his arms, “What’s it say?”

Carter took a breath. “Cleopatra’s Needle is one of two pairs of obelisks. The hieroglyphs describe a way to resurrect Thutmose III, in not so many words. It explains that, upon the destruction of the four obelisks, the son of Ra will rise.”

“Wonder Woman mentioned something about a family reunion.” Percy remembered.

“Yes,” Carter nodded, sharing a look with Walt. “Which may well have apocalyptic consequences.”

“Apocalyptic.” Sadie rolled the word around her tongue. “Why does it always have to be apocalyptic. Catastrophic, monumental, ruinous, anything else would be acceptable under the circumstance.”

“Another world-ending event?” Percy groaned, his tone matching the way any normal teenager would complain about having to do the chores.

“Potentially.” Walt affirmed. “We believe Hathor will try to consume the essence of her brother and father. It would grant her unfathomable power. Enough to ascend to the apex of the gods. However if we can stop the rise of Thutmose III-”

“We can save the world.” Sadie concluded with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Sadie and Walt have officially joined the fray- woo! And when I first wrote this story, I'd initially planned for them to just take down Hathor here and now and be done with it in 3 chapters.
> 
> As you can see, there are 36 chapters in this story so THAT clearly didn't happen!!!  
> Not that anyone's complaining, lol.
> 
> Okay, that's all for now- see you lovely people on Friday! (Or tomorrow on LL for those who follow that story as well :)  
> <3


	4. Cheeseburgers and Contingency Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because what do you do upon learning of the impending apocalypse? You go get a bacon burger supreme.
> 
> Or: The one where Sadie learns that Nectar tastes nothing like coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah the summary is terrible, but it's not exactly WRONG...
> 
> Anyway, I realize I forgot to say this in the last chapter(s) but I have only been to NYC twice, and both times were at an age when I didn't really pay attention to the details so 90% of the location descriptions are courtesy of google earth. The places and streets are ACTUAL locations that I found online so they may not be canonically accurate with the book/movie verse but guess what peeps- this is fanfiction! We die like men!
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Sadie POV)**

What better way to end date night than with cheeseburgers, milkshakes, and the impending doom of yet  _ another  _ apocalypse over our heads. Shortly after Walt and I had swooped in to save the day- (yes we did, Carter. How would you know, anyways? You were unconscious at the time, remember. Oh right, you can’t- because you were  _ unconscious _ . Now shut up and let me tell the story.)- ahem, as I was saying. It wasn’t long after that when we heard the wail of sirens in the distance.

Walt looked over at me. “We should probably get gone.”

“Yes.” I mused, “I’d rather  _ not _ explain why half of Central Park is up in flames.”

“Not to mention the giant hole in the art museum.” The blond girl- Annabeth, added.

“You did  _ what? _ ” I rounded on my brother, “Carter! That is like, the  _ one _ museum I actually enjoy going to!”

Carter rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding my glare. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

“Complete accident.” The taller boy- Percy, assured. “Mostly my fault.”

The sirens were getting louder by the minute. I sighed, “Fine. Let’s get out of here before we’re branded as arsonists.”

Percy, Annabeth, Carter and I quickly made our way across fifth avenue, escaping to the corner of 80th and Park before the flashing lights pulled up to the museum. Walt had taken Freak back to the Brooklyn House, under the pretense that it would be hard to determine how the police and firefighters would respond to seeing a gryphon. If he was being honest, I think Walt’s godly host, Anubis, had been more than a bit unsettled around our newest friends. I could hardly blame him, the moment Annabeth had mentioned Greek godly parents, a chill had run up my spine. The kind of instinctive, ‘I-shouldn’t-be-seeing-this’ chill from when you accidentally turn on Adult Swim at age seven.

Now that we were safely away from the conflagration, the four of us slowed to a casual walking pace. Despite my healing charm, Carter still looked like he had gone three rounds with a rhino and lost, and the two demigods were only slightly better off. Logically, there was only one thing to do.

“So.” I rubbed my hands together, “Who wants burgers?”

“Burgers?” Percy frowned.

“With fries. Look,” I sighed, “I’m not typically the one to be all ‘mother hen’, but you three look beat. Plus, I’m hungry.” I admitted.

Carter shot me an incredulous look. “Sadie, what burger joint is going to be open at-” He checked his watch, “-one seventeen in the morning? On a Sunday, no less.”

“McDonalds?” I shrugged. The two demigods exchanged a look, their eyes having a silent conversation that I imagined went something like:

Percy:  _ What about- _

Annabeth:  _ No. _

Percy:  _ But I didn’t even suggest anything! _

Annabeth:  _ You were going to say ‘let’s go to  _ (Place A) _ ’, weren’t you. _

Percy:  _ … yes. But why not? _

Annabeth:  _ They’re not demigods. That’s why. _

Percy:  _ But it’s better than McDonalds, and besides, don’t you want to know what’s going on with that Wonder Woman goddess? _

Annabeth:  _ …  _

My imagination quieted as the blond turned to face me and Carter. “We know of a decent joint. It’s shielded from monsters so we’ll be safe, but-”

“But since we’re not demigods we may not be welcome there?” I interrupted, tilting my head to the side and folding my arms across my chest.

Annabeth bit her lip, “Not necessarily. It’s just that, this is a coveted hangout for demigods.”

“And the idea of revealing its location to non-demigod, practically-strangers isn’t sitting well with you.” Carter nodded, understanding. He glanced at me and we had our own silent conversation. I was hesitant to go anywhere with these so-called demigods, seeing as we’d literally  _ just _ met them not half an hour ago. Carter, on the other hand, gave me a reassuring look, conveying that he felt they could be trusted- for now. It boiled down to whether or not I trusted my brothers judgement; which I did. Wholeheartedly (yes, Carter, that was a compliment, no need to look smug about it). Eventually I dipped my head in an imperceptible nod.

“You have our word that we won’t reveal it to anyone else.” Carter assured.

Percy gave the blond a smug look as if to say, ‘ _ Told you so _ ’. Annabeth just nodded, “Alright, then. It’s a few blocks away, follow me.”

I easily fell in step with Percy, my brother and the blond walking ahead of us and discussing the night's events. They compared notes and talked about various theories; as for me, I wasn’t interested in any of that stuff. I hummed aloud as we went, hopping from sidewalk crack to sidewalk crack, occasionally pulling out a piece of wax or string from my tool bag just to fiddle with it before putting it back.

After a block or two of walking I realized that Percy was staring at me. I frowned at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” He said quickly- too quickly- directing his gaze elsewhere. I shrugged.

“Here we are.” Annabeth announced.

I looked up to see that we had arrived at the intersection of 82nd and Madison. On the corner was a small restaurant with a green canvas overhang that read ‘Nectar of 82nd Street’ in a styled cursive font. To the right was a store called the Monnalisa with various dressed mannequins in the window. Annabeth led the way across the street, I followed behind, seeing nothing notably special about the food joint. The blond had mentioned that it was warded against monsters, but as we walked through the doors I couldn’t detect even the faintest hum of magic that would indicate a barrier. Nor did I see any warding charms carved in the framework. The inside was no more impressive, styled like a cozy diner with wood-backed booths and warm lighting from hanging overhead lamps. The restaurant was empty at this hour, with only a tall cashier manning the bar. He looked up as we entered, a smile breaking out on his face.

“Percy! Annabeth! Póso kaló na se do.”

I understood the first two words. The rest were in some strange language I couldn’t recognise. Thankfully, Annabeth and Percy did.

“Hey, Hector. Good to see you too.” Annabeth nodded as they walked up to the bar. “Can we get four venti half-caf, no-whip lattes with extra Nectar?”

The cashier’s eyebrows raised, “Sígouros. Tésseris latte me Nectar anevaínei! Típota állo?”

“Yes, I’ll have the grilled chicken sandwich.” Annabeth said.

“I’ll have your bacon burger supreme.” Percy decided, “Extra fries.”

The cashier nodded and looked at me expectantly. “Oh uh,” I scanned the menu hanging on the back wall, “Double cheeseburger, and a chocolate milkshake please.”

Carter was next, “Grilled ham and cheese with onion rings.”

The cashier nodded, “Aftó tha eínai triánta drachmés.” He held out his hand expectantly. Carter and I just looked at it blankly. After an awkward moment, Annabeth seemed to have an ‘aha’ moment.

“Right. You’ve probably never held a drachma in your life, I’ll pay.” She offered, proceeded to drop a small stack of shimmering coins into the outstretched hand. Each golden disk was imprinted with an eagle symbol, laurel wreaths lining the edges. The cashier spoke again and Annabeth moved to sit in one of the corner booths.

“Food will be out in ten minutes.” She explained as the rest of us followed suit.

“Ten?” I asked with a frown, “Seems awfully fast for one employee.”

Percy stifled a snort. I glanced at him but he pointed silently to the bar, it was an open design so you could see them prepare your food. Carter and I looked back and both of our jaws hit the floor at the same time.

The cashier had  _ multiple arms _ . I counted five, six, seven, at least eight, all emerging from his elongated torso. The hands moved constantly, pouring coffee, lighting the grill, preparing the ground beef. It was mesmerising to watch, and also a bit creepy at the same time.

“Never seen a Hecatoncheires at work before, then?” Percy guessed.

Carter was the first to stop staring, “What’s a Heck-athon-sherry?”

Annabeth shrugged, “A Hecatoncheires is a hundred handed one. Greek monster.”

“So a monster is making our food.” I commented skeptically. “Is that really a great idea?”

“Not  _ all _ monsters are out to kill us.” Percy shrugged, “Well,  _ most  _ are, but Hector’s been working here ever since it opened. He won’t poison your food or anything.”

Carter looked at Annabeth. “So was he speaking Greek, then?”

Annabeth nodded. “All demigods can understand the language inherently.”

“And those coins-”

“Drachmas.” Annabeth corrected, “Greek currency. But we’re here to discuss how to stop doomsday.” She prompted, a warning edge in her tone suggesting that the magicians not pry further into the world of demigods just yet.

“Right, right.” Carter held up his hands placatingly, “Sorry, I was just… curious. On to how to stop doomsday one-oh-one.” He joked lightly.

“You said something about a family reunion?” I prompted. Carter nodded.

“Yes, Walt and I believe that Hathor wants to resurrect her brother, Thutmosis III, and consume both his and her father’s essence to become the most powerful god.” He recapped. “In order to do so she needs to destroy the other three renditions of Cleopatra’s Needle which are located in London, Paris, and Luxor. So we have two main options. One: Ignore the obelisks and focus on sealing Hathor. Or, two: Ignore Hathor and focus on protecting one of the remaining obelisks.” Carter surmised.

“But you have no idea how to seal the goddess.” Annabeth pointed out.

“Correct.”

“And protecting a symbol of power against a goddess is no easy feat.” I reminded him.

“That is also correct.” Carter agreed.

Percy didn’t appear pleased by my brother’s nonchalance. “So how are we going to stop doomsday if neither of the options you’ve presented are achievable.”

“That’s not what I said.” Carter smirked.

I sighed. “Brother, dear, you’re doing it again.”

Carter’s brow furrowed, confused. “Doing what?”

“Being vague and generally annoying.” I said, ignoring his glare, “Now, are you going to explain your grand master plan or not?”

Carter huffed, “I was getting there. I have an idea, but I’m not sure if it will work. I give it, maybe a seventy percent chance of being successful  _ if _ we can get the supplies we need.”

“Seventy-percent sounds pretty good.” Annabeth said.

“What kind of grocery list are we talking about here?” Percy asked.

“Nothing you’re gonna find at Walmart.” My brother looked at me, “Remember the Red Pyramid?”

“How could I forget.” I shuddered at the mention of it. Back when Carter and I had first become magicians of the house of life, Set, probably the most annoying god in Egypt, had attempted to rise to power, which would’ve resulted in the release of Apophis, the evillest being in existence. It hadn’t been a pleasant quest. We’d nearly died at least a good half dozen times, if not more. But we had been successful in stopping the god’s plan, just barely. It had involved… 

I suddenly understood what Carter was hinting at. And I did _not_ like it. “You can't be suggesting-”  
“Do you have any better ideas?” My brother looked grimly nauseous for even mentioning it.

“But we don’t have the Book of Thoth, and the Feather of Truth was destroyed.”

Carter waved a hand, “We can track down the book. As for the feather, we can ask Walt if there’s a similar relic.”

“Carter, the amount of magic necessary to pull it off-”

“-would be immense, I know. We would probably need to call on the power of the gods-”

“-which we swore to never do again.” I reminded him.

“Extenuating circumstances.” Carter retaliated. “Apocalyptic, remember? It’s easier than trying to perform a shadow execration-”

“-we are  _ not _ doing that. Never again.”

“ _ Exactly _ , so this is the next best option-”

“ _ Guys! _ ” Percy slammed a palm on the table, snapping us out of our fast-paced debate. He and Annabeth were staring at us blankly, “What in Hades are you talking about?” Carter took a deep breath, but before he could go divulging all of our secrets I cut him off.

“No.” I said. The demigods looked at me in confusion, but I ignored them, focusing on my brother. “Carter, you can’t  _ seriously _ be considering spilling everything to these… these strangers! An hour ago, we didn’t even know they existed and yet you want to go blabbing about some of the most dangerous secrets of  _ Per Ankh _ ?”

“Well,” Carter shrugged, “If they can help us stop Hathor-”

“They’re not even magicians.” I interrupted, “They’re  _ kids _ .”

“Feelings mutual.” Annabeth said with a frown, taken aback by my statement. “We were fighting Titans when we were your age. And yet we still trusted you enough to bring you here.”

“Oh, yes.” I rolled my eyes, “Because secret burger joints are the same thing as-” I cut myself off with a shake of the head. “Carter, Hathor is an  _ Egyptian _ goddess. And therefore, it is our job to deal with her. Not theirs.”

Percy was frowning now too. “Hey, if there’s a plan to destroy the world, we can’t just sit idly by and watch it happen.”

“Regardless of which gods we worship, it’s our planet, too.” Annabeth added.

Carter held out his hands, “You see? Look, Sadie, before Hathor escaped from the needle, we fought a Bennu-”

“A what?”

My brother sighed, “Flaming bird. Born from its own ashes.”

“Like a Phoenix?” I surmised.

“Yes.” Carter raised his eyes to the ceiling, “Like a Phoenix. Anyway, if it hadn’t been for Percy and Annabeth… let’s just say I was having a hard time defeating it on my own. Thanks to them, I was able to open a portal to Alexandria and-”

“You opened a portal?” I tried not to sound as impressed as I was. Channeling Divine Words and using portals was  _ not _ my brother’s forte. He mostly stuck to his combat magic and let me deal with the complex spells.

“Yes. So what I am _ trying _ to say,” He glanced at the two demigods. “Is that we can trust them. I think.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Percy muttered, grunting as his girlfriend not-so-subtly elbowed him. Still I hesitated. The past few years had taught me that trust was a fickle thing. After everything we’d been through, Carter still somehow managed to see the good in others, whereas I preferred the ‘attack first, make friends later’ approach. 

“Alright.” I sighed, defeated. “But only necessary information.”

“Of course.” Carter agreed. There was an uncomfortable silence as we realized the two demigods were now waiting expectantly, the atmosphere suddenly more tense than before. Luckily for us, it was broken by Hector as he brought out our meals. Balanced in each of his eight hands was a separate plate and drink. Within seconds they had arranged themselves in front of the respective customer. It smelled delicious. I dug into my cheeseburger, finding that the taste was better than my nose had concluded.

“Dish is am’zing!” I said around a mouthful of beef.

“Best burgers this side of town.” Percy agreed.

Carter looked curiously at his coffee, picking up a small, clear plastic cup on the side of the mug that had a syrupy substance like gold honey. “What’s this?”

“Nectar.” Annabeth said, taking her own and unceremoniously dumping the contents into her drink. “The drink of the gods.”

“It’s like that potion thing you gave me earlier,” Percy explained helpfully. “It has healing properties and tastes amazing.”

“And you put it in your coffee?” I frowned. “Doesn’t sound like a natural combination.”

“Just try it.” Annabeth looked at me, “Unless you don’t trust us and think it’s actually poison.”

I watched her take a swig anyway before adding the gooey syrup to my drink.I took a whiff but the coffee didn’t smell any different. With a shrug I took a sip, promptly gagging at the taste.

“Not what you were expecting, huh?” Percy winked.

That was an understatement. “It tastes like Grans’ scones.” I set down the mug, a bit disconcerted by the fact that coffee didn’t even taste like coffee in the world these demigods came from.

“Nectar always tastes like your favorite comfort food.” Annabeth smiled.

“Shame. Grans scones always tasted rather burnt and horrid.” 

Percy snorted a bit in his drink, looking up with wide green eyes. “What? It’s supposed to be your favorite food.” 

I wrinkled my nose. “Way off the mark.” 

Carter pushed his cup of nectar away from his mug as though afraid of contamination.

“You had said something about a feather.” Percy prompted, munching on a fry before drowning his bacon burger supreme in ketchup.

“The Feather of Truth.” Carter corrected, sipping the coffee- without the nectar. His eyes widened slightly, “That  _ is _ good. Sorry, as I was saying; we first found out about magic when our dad accidentally released Set, the Egyptian god of deserts, storms, violence- not a nice guy.”

“Does releasing evil gods run in the family or something- ow!” Percy winced as his girlfriend retracted her elbow yet again. She shot him a glare that quite obviously said ‘Shut up and let him talk’.

“Set tried to gain power over the other gods-”

“-and kill us.” I interjected. “Multiple times.”

Carter nodded. “And kill us, so in order to stop him, we were told that we would need to use a spell from the Book of Thoth in conjunction with the Feather of Truth. Essentially, if all went well, Set would’ve been banished to the Duat for a good millennia or so.”

“Would’ve?” Annabeth frowned. “Did it not work?”

“Well.” Carter looked at me.

“I didn’t complete the spell.” I explained. “I was going to. But at the last minute I realized there was a greater enemy awakening with the magic from the Red Pyramid.”

“Right.” Carter said, picking up the story. “Sadie broke off the spell to reveal the threat, and in the process, the feather exploded.”

Percy looked between us, “Does  _ everything _ involved with Egyptian magic explode? Because that’s my takeaway from all this.”

“So what happened to Set?” Annabeth asked, apparently intrigued by our tale. “I thought you said he wanted you dead?”

“Oh he did. Still does, I would think.” I nodded, “But he couldn’t do it at the time because we knew his secret name.”

“So you guys called him names and that stopped him?” Percy looked impressed. “Wished that worked on Greek gods.”

Carter shifted uncomfortably, taking another swig from his coffee. “A secret name is… more than a nickname. It’s called the  _ ren _ . It sums up your entire existence. Imagine all of your dreams, all of your fears, all of your memories rolled up into one word or phrase.”

Annabeth glanced at Percy with a knowing grin, “Yours would  _ totally  _ be Seaweed Brain.”

“Shut up, Wise Girl.” He retaliated, pouting slightly. “So why would knowing his secret name make him not kill you?”

“Secret names hold power.” I explained, stirring my milkshake. “With the proper spell, a magician could use it to control the owner of the name.”

“I can vouch.” Carter grumbled. “Sadie found out my secret name last year. My life’s been miserable ever since.”

“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes “I only use my knowledge for good.”

The demigods looked skeptical, so with a smirk, I muttered a word. Carter suddenly face planted on the table, his head thunking on the wood and causing the plates and silverware to clatter. He picked his head up and glared at me, rubbing his temple.

“ _ Sadie _ .”

“I don’t know why you’re looking at  _ me _ .” I flashed him my most innocent smile and ignored the demigods’ confused expressions. “Long story short if we can learn Hathors secret name and find the Book of Thoth, doomsday will be averted once again.”

“Easier said than done, I’m guessing.” Annabeth nursed her coffee between her hands. “What’s our first step?”

“We need to head east.” Carter said. “Start by protecting the obelisks. In the meantime, I’ll try scrying for the book and we can ask Walt if there’s something we could use to replace the feather. Then all we have to do is find out Hathors secret name and we’ll be ready to send her to the Duat.”

“Travel by portals?” I suggested. “It’d be the fastest way.”

Carter shook his head. “But it’s draining, and we can only hop to certain locations. A plane is probably our best bet.”

“Um.” Percy cleared his throat nervously, “I don’t think that’ll work either. I’m the son of Poseidon.” He explained at our blank looks, “Travelling through Zeus’ domain is never a preferable option for me.”

“So that leaves… a cruise ship?” Carter rubbed his chin. “But that would take too long.”

“How much time do we have, exactly?” Annabeth inquired.

I leaned back. “Hathor was only recently freed so her power is already diminished. That, and the fact that she teleported out of my rope would leave her in a very weakened state.”

“As long as she doesn’t consume any magicians essence anytime soon, I’d say it’ll be at least a week before she’s back to full strength.” Carter hypothesised.

“So we have a little bit of time.” Annabeth nodded, glancing at her boyfriend. “I think I know a faster way we can cross the Atlantic. The trip would take, maybe, two days? You could use the time to find out where this book is.” She suggested to Carter, who nodded.

Percy frowned at the blond. “Pegasi can’t fly forever, you know.”

“That’s not what I was thinking of.” Annabeth gave him a meaningful look.

The confusion cleared from the boy’s face. “You mean-”

“Y-up.” Annabeth nodded. “He’s been wanting to take it out for a test drive for the past few weeks now.”

It was me and Carter’s turn to look perplexed. My brother finally asking, “Who’s been wanting to test drive what?”

“You wouldn’t believe me.” Annabeth said with a trace of vindictiveness, and I realized she was more spiteful about my keeping secrets than she’d let on. “But we can get you across the ocean in two days. Maybe three. You have a better option?”

I grit my teeth unhappily. “No.” 

“So-” Percy cut in, putting a hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder. “We’ll grab the Argo three-”

“Ergo what?” Carter parroted. 

“-and a few supplies. Do you guys need to prepare too, or can you just wait back at pier ninety-six for a few hours?”

“I could use a quick restock.” Carter said, rummaging through his satchel. “What time are we meeting you?”

“Is three hours enough time?”

“Plenty.” Carter assured the boy. “See you at the pier.”

Percy nodded, extending his hand which Carter shook. Percy turned to his girlfriend. “Let's go wake up our helmsman.”

Annabeth snorted. “You say that like he’ll actually be asleep.” And with that last confounding comment the two demigods and the two magicians split ways. The former heading towards Long Island, the latter making their way back to the Brooklyn House.

As soon as the demigods were out of sight, I turned to Carter. “I don't trust them.”

“ _ Really? _ ” My brother pretended to look shocked. “I couldn't tell.”

“Carter-”

“Look,” he sighed. “I don’t like this anymore than you. I probably  _ understand  _ less than you too. But for once, can we just enjoy the fact that there is someone out there who is  _ not _ attempting to destroy us? I mean, how many times do we actually get the chance to make friends. Even among other magicians we’re… odd. So let’s give this a chance.” We walked in silence for a minute before he added, “Besides, if they do end up to be evil half-human, half-gods, we can always blow them up.”

“That’s not fair, tempting me with destruction.”

“I blew up the Met earlier tonight.” He deadpanned. “It’s only fair to give you a turn next.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Did I proofread/edit this chapter before posting it? No. No I didn't.  
> Will I go back later tonight and make a few minor edits? ... possibly. Very possibly.  
> Will I forget and just continue posting despite the many plot flaws? Hell yes.
> 
> You have been warned :P  
> <3


	5. Flight of the Spanking Hot War Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Annabeth and Percy recruit a friend, the demigods in Camp Half-Blood are fairly unobservant, and Chiron really should've seen this coming.
> 
> Or: Leo Valdez finally gets to test drive his new toy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!  
> Happy Sunday! I hope everyone's having a rain free weekend- unlike my own :P  
> And here we are introduced to my FAVORITE character in the Riordanverse, Leo freaking Valdez!!! And yes, he is my favorite because we are both mechanics and we are both nerds with terrible senses of humor. He is my fictional boyfriend and you can FIGHT ME if you think otherwise.
> 
> If you enjoy Leo-centric stuff, I've also got a "Leo's Logbook" story where it follows Leo as he builds the Argo II: so feel free to check it out if that's your jam.
> 
> Alright, onto the story!  
> <3

**(Leo POV)**

Camp Half-Blood was quiet. Situated on the Long Island Sound, the demigod training facility consisted of a substantial plot of acreage ringed in by a thick expanse of trees. The borders of the camp housed multiple amenities for the attendees, including an amphitheater, a combat arena, an armory, stables (for the pegasi), volleyball courts, a lake, an arts and crafts pavilion, a climbing wall (complete with flowing lava and falling rocks), a forest and field, a fire pit, and a ring of recently expanded cabins. 

After the most recent attempt to destroy the sacred training center, the heads of each cabin had decided to set watches throughout the night. In two hours shifts set and monitored by Chiron- lead trainer/counselor, each cabin would take turns providing watch. Under the moonlight, three small trios from the Hermes Cabin made the rounds, checking the camp's borders and ensuring that each camper was asleep in their bunk.

If they had been more attentive, they would’ve heard the muted clanging from deep within the forest. If they had looked closer, they would’ve seen the filtered light from Bunker Nine. If they had cared more about their task, they would’ve noticed that one particular camper was absent from the Hephaestus Cabin.

But they didn’t. Which meant that Leo Valdez continued to work uninterrupted.

Bunker Nine was in a constant state of organized clutter; with piles of scrap metal pushed up against one wall, Archimedes Sphere projects haphazardly piled up in a corner, blueprints and designs for countless inventions stored in a crate near the worktables, and other unidentifiable messes strewn around the workshop.

Dominating the main construction area was a ship. A Greek trireme with one large central mast and sail. Spanning 61 meters, the bronze-hull and dragon-headed mast gleamed under the low overhead lights. Two massive repeating crossbows were situated beneath the sail, their explosive darts carefully stowed in a hidden compartment. A dozen oars protruded from both port and starboard sides of the hull, above which a line of shields- engraved with various Greek and Roman heroes- were positioned for maximum cover.

At the bow of the ship, a skinny teen was hunched over a curved, satellite-shaped object on a raised dais. His white collared shirt was smudged in various places with soot and grease, as were his capri length cargo pants. A worn toolbelt was clipped around his waist, and old-fashioned suspenders were clipped in the front, crossing in an ‘X’ at the back.

Leo sat back with an impish grin, pushing his goggles up so that they were seated among his mop of unruly carob hued hair. “Alright.” He said satisfactorily into the silence, “Let’s give you a test run.”

The son of Hephaestus retreated to the helm of the ship, scampering over to the control panel. It consisted of an impressive array of random items: including a computer keyboard, the aviation console of a learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and the newest addition of a Wii remote. Picking up the white, rectangular controller, Leo pressed the power symbol, hearing the whir of gears as the satellite shuddered. 

“Good, good.” Leo muttered encouragingly. He’d long since acquired a habit of talking to his machines as he worked. It was easier to talk to them because- usually- they couldn’t talk back. Leo used the joystick connector to swivel the device left and right as well as up and down. “Excellent! Now let’s see what you can do.”

Carefully, the demigod aimed the new contraption towards the back of the bunker, where a small space had been cleared of debris. Positioned in front of a fortified metal backdrop was a target. An old Camp Half-Blood shirt stuffed with hay from the stables, and a large coconut husk posing as the head of the enemy scarecrow. In true Leo fashion, the boy had taped a picture of his friend Frank to the coconut head, and fashioned a paper dunce cap to crown the figure.

Once he was confident with the angle of the satellite, Leo pulled the ‘B’ trigger button on the Wii remote. In response, the satellite hummed, a ring of LED lights at the edges of the bowl switching on and shining against the concave surface. The light reflected off of the angled surface, a beam of energy redirecting towards the target.

The concentrated lumosity struck just to the left of the target, sizzling on contact with the metal barrier. Leo frowned, _the calibration is off_ , and adjusted for the displacement. The light shone on the scarecrow, causing a thin trail of smoke to climb lazily into the air as it burned a hole in the cloth.

Leo pressed the up arrow, the machine’s humming rising in pitch as the beam grew. The smoke trail turned into a thin plume, the hole in the stuffed shirt now roughly the size of a saucer. Leo kept pressing the up arrow, increasing power to the LED lights and, in turn, increasing the damage to the target. Finally, the hay caught fire, and Leo let out a triumphant, “ _Yes!_ ” proceeded by a fistpump into the air.

 _CLANG_.

“No, no, no-o!” The celebratory tone was replaced with a groan as Leo watched the satellite spark angrily, a few of the LED’s bursting in a glittering shower of glass. He hurriedly turned off the invention before more damage could be done to his precious ship.

“But you were working so beautifully.” He whined to the machine, making his way over to the satellite. He crouched down to inspect the power cables, but as he did so, he heard the workshop door creak open. Strange- no one should be up at this late of an hour. No one aside from him, in any case. Remaining stooped behind the shields, Leo grasped the hilt of his hammer. 

Cautiously, he peeked over the edge of the rail, seeing that a blond girl and a tall boy had entered his workshop.

“Annabeth? Percy? What’re you guys doing here?” He called, standing and waving to his friends.

The blond smiled at Percy, “Told you he’d be awake.”

She said that like there was another option. “I have a different setting?” Leo whispered in mock-awe. 

The lovebirds rolled their eyes and mumbled something about too much time in the workshop, which was preposterous. There was no such thing. 

Leo sniffed himself subtly, then grimaced at the pungent mix of engine oil and sweat. Okay, maybe he was pushing it a little bit. His baby was totally worth it though! He was just finishing the repairs from when the Ares Cabin raided her for the weapons he was working on. Nevermind that he’d _told_ them they were still in the test phases, they’d come in anyways. The idiots had ripped the ballistae right off the Argo III- that’s right, they _ripped_ the base off instead of being _civilized_ and using a screwdriver, which completely ruined the integrity of the ship! Then the fools tossed the exploding bolts around for fun: like some convoluted hybrid game of hot potato and Russian roulette.

Leo had always marveled at his supernatural ability to attract bullies wherever he went. Name calling he could handle. Messing with his machines? His babies? That was a no no. He smiled though, remembering his vengeance. At first he’d considered raiding _their_ weapon storage unit and see how they liked it when someone tampered with _their_ toys. Then he’d discarded the idea. He may be nuts, but he didn’t have a death wish… yet. Although in light of his recent adventures he really should’ve put some thought into completing his bucket list.

Instead, Leo had found a better way to get back at the meat heads. Each cabin had a scheduled laundry day, usually in pairs to accommodate the newest additions to the barracks, and Ares was paired with Hermes on Wednesday. So late Tuesday night, Leo had taken it upon himself to sneak into the laundry room and tamper with the driers. A few modifications here, a screw or two arranged there, and voilà- his revenge was set. The Ares campers had originally blamed the Hermes kids for turning the drier into a shredding machine before figuring out who the real culprit was. Ever since, Leo had slept with a hammer in hand and one eye open- really two, since sleeping was never a priority for the mechanic- waiting for the time when they would attempt to get back at him.

Attempt being the key word.

“Leo? Earth to Leo?” Annabeth snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing the demigod back to the present.

Leo smiled, raising a hand to his ear, making a static sound with his voice. “Leo to Earth, Leo to Earth- detecting high levels of sarcasm inbound.” Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Leo to Earth- my bad, it’s just mild annoyance.”

“You’re not funny, Leo.” The blonde sighed.

“Of course I am.” The son of Hephaestus winked. “Welcome to Leo’s World. How can I be of service?” He asked with a mock bow and flourish.

Percy looked around the workshop, “We need to borrow something for a quest.”

“What quest?” Leo frowned, he hadn’t remembered any prophecies being issued lately.

Annabeth busied herself with inspecting the mainmast. “Personal favor to some allies, more like.”

“Oh, okay. Sure, anything you need.” Leo shrugged, eager to assist his friends however he could. “I’ve got a few new flying chariots you could hook up to the pegasi, some prototype gadgets that can do a range of things. What exactly do you require?” He asked.

“We need you to loan us the Argo III.”

Leo blinked. Then he roared with laughter, “Man, you’re funny! Honestly, you’ve got the best sense of humor around here after me. You should really teach those Ares kids how to get those sticks out of their-” His voice trailed off as he saw Annabeth’s unamused look. “Wait, you’re serious? You _can’t_ be serious.”

Percy nodded.

“No. _Absolutely_ not.”

Annabeth sighed, “C’mon Leo-”

“No!” Leo shook his head firmly, walking towards the helm, hearing the other two following him. “I _just_ finished repairs, I am not letting her out of my sight.” 

“Oh, don’t be dramatic, it’s not like you live on the ship!” 

“Uh, Annabeth?” Percy coughed lightly, pointing toward the navy blue sleeping cot that Leo had set up on the quarterdeck. “I think he does.”

“Well-” Annabeth huffed, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. After a moment, the daughter of Athena pursed her lips, looking up. “What if you came with us?”

“ _What_?” The boys said in unison.

“You said you wouldn’t let it out of your sight. So come with us.”

Percy looked at his girlfriend, whispering. “Is that really a good idea? They may not like the fact that we’re bringing someone else-”

“ _They_ can go jump off a cliff for all I care.” Annabeth growled. Leo had no idea where the stereotype of dumb giggly blondes came from. Ever since he'd met Annabeth at the Grand Canyon, when she'd marched toward him with that patented ‘Give-me-Percy-Jackson-or-I’ll-kill-you’ expression, Leo had thought of blondes as much too smart and much too dangerous.

“We’re the ones providing transportation, so they can just deal with it. Besides.” She glanced at the console pointedly. “Do you really want to try and learn those controls on the fly?”

“Fair point.” Percy turned to Leo. “Alright. Hurry up and pack what you need, we’ve gotta leave in an hour and a half.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Leo held up his hands. “Who said I even _want_ to go?”

Percy snorted, “Why _wouldn’t_ you want to go? It’s a quest.”

“Complete with an evil prophecy about death, monsters gunning for our blood, and the fated end of the world as we know it? No thanks,” Leo shuddered. “We’ve been on enough of those already.”

“You’ll get to test fly the Argo III.” Annabeth tempted, running a hand along the wooden accented rail. “It’ll be her maiden voyage.”

Leo could hardly argue against that. He’d been pestering Chiron for months- _months_ , now; trying to convince the centaur to allow him to fly the Argo III. Leo had been _more_ than willing to compromise, he promised not to fly it over any populated areas, and he swore he would only test the cannons on the Ares cabin. But no-o, Chiron retaliated with ‘It’s to dangerous’ and ‘Be rational’ and ‘No, you cannot use it as your base for capture-the-flag’. And now Annabeth, perhaps the most senior among all the campers in Camp Half-Blood, was giving him the go ahead to fly his baby- under extenuating circumstances, yes, but still...

“Give me thirty minutes.” He said, hurrying down the gangplank and grabbing a duffel bag that had been shoved underneath one of the desks. He unceremoniously dumped out it’s contents, the scrap metal clanging to the ground in an unorganized heap.

At the back of Bunker Nine, Leo had installed a modified locker room, complete with a shower, bathroom, and- big surprise- a locker; with extra shirts and pants and socks and underwear. He turned on the water, steam soon filling the small room as he undressed, shoving an extra pair of clothes into the duffel. Fifteen minutes later he emerged, cleaner than he had been in weeks and smelling less like an engine and more like a stick of Old Spice deodorant.

There wasn't much left for the mechanic to pack, anything that could be found in the average workshop could be pulled from any of the various pockets of his magic tool belt. Screwdrivers, wrenches, nuts, bolts, breath mints, vials of gasoline, burger patties and kleenex, to name a few. As a precaution- because Leo never knew what type of ungodly monster would wreak havoc on his celestial bronze ship next- he packed the rest of the duffel with pieces of scrap metal, an extra sail (fireproof, of course), some of the bigger tools in the workshop that didn't fit into his tool belt, and three oversized rolls of colored duct tape.

If there was one thing Leo had learned during his time at camp, was that duct tape could fix _anything_. Cracked hull? Duct tape. Spliced wiring? Duct tape. Leaking oil pipe? Duct tape. Talkative bunkmates? Duct tape. The stuff was a godsend.

The last thing he did was go to his personal toolbox, rummaging through the drawers until he found a bronze, cylindrical cuff. The gauntlet was of Leo’s original design, a project he’d started after discovering the incredible potential within the Archimedes spheres. It was a elongated cylindrical brace consisting of multiple rings. Each section displaying various shapes, symbols, numbers, and letters.

He slid the contraption onto his left wrist and watched it hum to life. Leo had used heat sensors as the primary power source, meaning that all the young demigod needed to do to activate the device was be hot. And Leo was always hot. Literally and figuratively. Being a son of Hephaestus, Leo had been gifted with the rare power to control fire, and as such, he was prone to bursts of random combustion. Recently, he had gained more control over the ability, but every so often he would find small fires among his untamed hair, or would accidentally shoot flames from his nostrils (a process that he assured everyone was ten times more painful than spewing milk from out one's nose, and only half as funny).

He headed back up to the deck of the Argo III, hauling the duffel with both hands. Annabeth gave him an appraising once over, nodding in satisfaction at his clean (-er) appearance. After dropping the bag off in the engine room, he returned to the quarterdeck. Percy saw the metal cuff on his forearm and frowned.

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing to the item.

Leo glanced down. “New prototype I’ve been working on. I’m calling it the Arc Brace of Epicness: Abe for short.” Annabeth rolled her eyes as her boyfriend snorted.

“So what does it do?” She asked.

“Oh, Abe can do many things.” Leo stated proudly, “I can use it to run system diagnostics, open any mechanical door or lock- you should’ve _seen_ the security they installed in the mess hall, who knew the Twinkies would be so heavily guarded? Then again they _are_ Twinkies- it can be used to control the ship’s main functions, and provides remote access to the bunker, oh! And you can order pizza with it, too; from any store within a thirty mile radius.” He informed them in his typical, rapid-fire way of speaking. After a moment of blankly staring at the mechanic, Annabeth and Percy spoke at the same time.

“You used it to break into the mess hall?”

“You can order pizza with it?”

Annabeth glared at her boyfriend. “Priorities, Percy.” She admonished.

“Hey, for me, food _is_ a priority.” The boy said in defence.

“Agreed.” Leo grinned, stretching his left arm towards the ceiling of the bunker. The other two demigods watched as Abe hummed to life, the symbols glowing with a faint red light. Humming casually, the mechanic rotated the spheres into a set sequence, smiling as he heard the whine of the gears above respond to his command. The roof of the bunker moved, sliding back in paneled sections to expose the evening sky.

“So,” Leo began fiddling with the controls, the Argo III springing to life under his hands. “What exactly is this quest about?”

Even as he ran the startup sequence he could see Percy shoot Annabeth a nervous look before replying, “It’s… complicated.”

Leo snorted. “Dude, you’re asking me to fly a bronze mechanical boat with a Wii remote, a keyboard, and some Xbox controllers. I am the undisputed _master_ of complicated.”

“We’ll explain later, but first we need to pick up some... friends.” The Son of Hephaestus frowned at Annabeth’s hesitation, glancing at Percy. The Son of Poseidon shook his head slightly as if to say, _don't ask_. Leo shrugged, holding the older boy’s gaze in a way that suggested that line of conversation would be further explored later. But as for now, Leo had a boat to fly.

“So. Where to, Mon Capi-tan?” Leo asked with considerable swagger.

“Pier ninety-six.”

Leo mock saluted Percy. “Aye, aye!”

His fingers flew over the controls with confidence, beaming as he heard the pistons firing off in perfect sequence. The oars flared to life, rising and falling in orderly sync. With a groan, the boat rose from the timber pallet rack climbing steadily through the skylight opening. Leo let out a whoop of delight. His baby was _airborne_!

“Oh, yea! My Spanking Hot War Machine is _back_ , baby!” He shouted triumphantly into the open air.

“ _VALDEZ!_ ”

“Whoops.” Leo cringed sheepishly, having forgotten that he was out past curfew. He glanced over the side railing to see one of the three patrol units pointing up at the ship. The one in the lead was still shouting something while another ran towards the big house, probably to wake Chiron.

With a nervous glance at his companions, Leo said, “We should probably get gone.”

“Agreed.” They chorused.

Leo flipped a few switches and pushed in the throttle to full, the Argo III responding instantly, lurching forwards with enough force to send Percy and Annabeth stumbling along the deck. Leo just barely maintained his own balance by gripping the steering console. “Sorry sorry sorry,” He said as he adjusted some knobs and pressed a combination of buttons on the Xbox controller. The Argo III stabilized, “Still working out the kinks.”

The son of Hephaestus piloted the ship towards Manhattan. The city skyline was dazzling, millions of tiny lights shining in the dark. The brightest among them reflected off of the dark waters, rippling and swirling along the waves below. Leo angled the ship towards the west side of the island, passing over Midtown. All three demigods’ eyes were drawn to the towering Empire State Building, lingering on the secret entrance to Olympus as they passed. Not long after, Leo set the Argo III down lightly in the murky waters of the Hudson river, docking at the aforementioned pier.

“Is that… a giant beer bottle?” Leo frowned.

Annabeth followed his gaze. Just outside of the dock was a giant sculpture of a green wine bottle tipped on its side. “It’s called the Private Passage. Created by the artist Malcolm Cochran, the inside represents- oh, nevermind.” She sighed, realizing the mechanic had zoned out.

Leo grinned in apology. “So, we’re picking up some friends of yours? I don’t see them.”

“We told them to be here around four thirty.” Percy explained. “Give it a few minutes.” The mechanic shrugged, pulling out some screws and fiddling with them while they waited.

They didn’t have to wait long. Within ten minutes a pair of kids rounded the corner; a boy and girl who both looked a few years younger than Leo. The girl was dressed in blue jeans, the bottoms of which were currently tucked into the top of her black combat boots. A faded, unzipped leather jacket hung open to reveal the plain purple T-shirt underneath. Her caramel blonde hair was streaked with purple highlights and hung loose around her face, framing sapphire eyes that were currently narrowed in their direction. A black backpack was slung over her right shoulder and she walked with an air of snide confidence. She was pretty in that dangerous, ‘mess-with-me-and-I’ll-kill-you’ kind of way.

Leo shifted his gaze to the other kid and felt his jaw drop. The boy was wearing a long-sleeved, blue collared button up shirt and tan cargo pants. The strap of a worn leather satchel crossed his chest. He had copper skin and a shock of curly brown hair atop his head. Warm brown eyes scanned the ship with interest as the two started up the gangplank. Leo felt like he was looking at a younger, slightly darker skinned version of himself as the kid came aboard.

Upon seeing Leo, the girl scowled. “Who’s this then?” She said in a british accent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Alright, so I know that Leo technically “dies” at the end of the HoO storyline, and the Argo II kinda goes “BOOM”, but I’m taking full use of my literary freedoms here to alter that ending so that Leo survived the explosion, and has since managed to salvage what remains of the ship- creating the Argo III. Sorry, not sorry. 
> 
> As always, I encourage you to leave me your thoughts or critiques down below :)  
> Thanks to those who leave kudos, and thanks to all the guests who left kudos even without having an AO3 account :D
> 
> See you all on Tuesday!  
> <3


	6. Mixing Magics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carter and Sadie board the Argo III, Leo gets brought up to speed, and Percy learns that magical healing potions and Bacon Burger Supreme's do NOT mix well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I hope everyone's having a wonderful start to their week. Because Percy certainly isn't! It's time to get the ball rolling on this quest- so buckle your seat belts (Leo, what do you mean this ship doesn't have seat belts!?!) and let's get to it!
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Carter POV)**

My sister’s question seemed to snap the third member of Percy’s party out of his stupor and he grinned. “Who, me? Name’s Leo Valdez. I’m, hey-” Leo looked over at Percy as a thought crossed his mind. “What’s my official title? Am I like, captain? Or, helmsman? Or-”

“Repair boy.”

“Very funny, Annabeth.” Leo rolled his eyes in her direction before turning back to us, spreading his hands to either side of him with a grin. “Anyway, welcome aboard the Argo III.”

I took an appraising look around the upper deck. The ship was pretty amazing! Its craftsmanship alone could easily hold up to the best Egyptian shipbuilders. The deck was a polished, coppery color, with intricately detailed bronze shields lining the bulwark. A large central mast stood erect in the middle of the deck, underneath which were two dangerous looking giant crossbows. At the bow was a raised dais with what appeared to be a metal satellite mounted to the top. The masthead was no less impressive, a meticulously crafted dragon's head with eyes that glowed like hot, red coals.

My sister wasn't interested in the engineering marvel, instead leaning towards me and hissing, “I told you we couldn’t trust them to keep this a secret. They already told someone.” She motioned not-so-subtly towards Leo who frowned and opened his mouth to respond.

Annabeth beat him to it. “He’s the only one who can control the ship. And we haven’t told Leo anything concerning the mission, yet. But I can assure you that he can be trusted.”

“Yea,” Leo agreed. “I’m like a trust fund. Totally trustworthy.”

I hesitated. As much as I was thrilled to have a third ally on the trip, a small part of my mind whispered reminders of previous missions that had gone astray; reminding me of all the times we had placed trust in the wrong people. I dislodged the thought with a shake of my head, I couldn't allow myself to only see the bad in others. Instead I smiled and stuck out my hand.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Carter Kane; and this is my sister, Sadie.”

“So, are you like, my clone or something?” Leo smirked.

I chuckled. We _did_ look fairly similar, my skin was a few shades darker and his hair looked more disheveled than curly, but in another life, we could’ve been brothers. “Sorry,” I said. “But I’m one-hundred percent original.”

“Gods forbid there be two of him.” I heard Sadie mutter. “One is already one too many.”

“Where’s that other kid?” Annabeth asked, looking around.

“Who, Walt?” Sadie shrugged dismissively, her lips pressing together tightly. “He’s staying behind.”

The blond snorted, “What, do you not trust him either?”

 _Oh boy..._ I didn't even need to look at her to know Sadie’s face was probably twisting in rage right now. It didn’t help that she was already in a bad mood- before we left for the pier, she and Walt had engaged in a shouting match back at the Brooklyn House (or, technically, Sadie had been doing most of the shouting) that I had heard snippets of even from the living room. And having some practical stranger snark on their relationship was _not_ going to help matters.

Don't get me wrong, part of me was furious that Annabeth had the gall to insult my sister’s boyfriend and my unofficial Second-in-Command. But the greater part of me understood that the blond was just lashing out at my sister for what happened earlier at the restaurant.

Sadie drew in a breath, no doubt ready to release a torrent of curses (both verbal and magical), but I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She shot me a glare, blue eyes flashing with fury, the unspoken ‘ _let go_ _before I pummel you too’_ evident in her expression. My grip only tightened, raising my eyebrows in an obvious message: _Let me handle this._

“Walt is staying behind for his own reasons,” I said calmly, the barest hint of a warning in my tone. “One of which will be to inform the other nomes of the situation, giving them time to strengthen their defenses.”

Annabeth had the grace to look subtly chastised at my response; although whether because she realized she’d overstepped or because she had just been reprimanded by a thirteen year old I didn't know.

Oblivious to the tension in the air, Leo frowned, reaching up to scratch at his head. “Gnomes? Like, those things you put in your garden to scare away squirrels?”

Percy smirked, as if he was satisfied that someone else had misinterpreted the word ‘nome’. “Not exactly. We’ll explain, but I think we should start getting underway. Impending doomsday and all that.”

“You’re kidding.” Leo groaned, “ _Another_ one? Look, I was just joking when I mentioned end of the world prophecies.”

“Yeah, well… We weren't.”

“Wonderful. So where are we bound now? Rome? Greece? Athens? Canada?” Leo asked, moving to the quarterdeck.

“London, actually.” Sadie said, looking around the ship. Her brow furrowed as she noticed something. “Hey, where are the lifeboats?”

My doppleganger exchanged a perplexed glance with Percy. “Lifeboats? What makes you think we’ll need lifeboats?”

Now that she’d mentioned it, I hadn’t seen any of the failsafe crafts during my initial inspection of the deck.

“This may be a Greek ship,” Sadie said, folding her arms. “But I learned that lesson very well from watching the Titanic.”

A bemused, knowing expression flickered across Leo’s face. “Yes, well, this ship is special. Actually, I think you’d rather have a parachute than a lifeboat.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You’ll see.” Leo winked at us, moving to stand at the helm.

Sadie and I followed him, the other two demigods bringing up the rear. I took one look at the control panel and was instantly confused. Leo’s hands flew over a series of game consoles, soundboards, and knobs and levers with confidence.

“Is that… a Wii remote?” Sadie pointed.

I glanced down and sure enough, there was a white rectangle amidst the strange congregation. Leo was nodding, a grin crossing his face as the boat began to hum. With a shudder, the oars on either side began rising and falling, propelling the ship… up? I watched in amazement as the boat rose straight up into the air, easily climbing to five hundred feet in the time it took for my sister to run over to the railing and peer down at the shrinking city below. When she turned around, her face was alight with wonder.

“The boat is flying.” She said with a stupid grin, clearly awestruck. “Carter, the _boat_ is _flying_!”

I could only nod, her giddiness was infectious and for a moment, I felt like I was a kid again. I forgot about the fact that my sister and I were powerful magicians. I forgot that we were on a quest to stop an insane goddess from resurrecting her brother and, through complicated magic, destroy the cosmos. I forgot about the fact that we were relying on three strangers claiming to be children of Greek gods and goddesses. Instead, I simply reveled in the realization that my sister and I were on a _flying ship_.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Leo winked. “Told you we wouldn’t need lifeboats.”

His comment snapped me back to the present and I turned to the demigod, questions rolling through my mind faster than I could ask them. “How are you producing lift? What materials did you use? It looks like metal but that would obviously be much too heavy- why do you need an Xbox controller? Is it just a personal preference or is it easier to use or- wait, you said we’d rather have a parachute but do you actually have a failsafe? What’s the maximum altitude you can reach? What kind of power source are you using? It must be a powerful type of magic, or are you using a focus to amplify and sustain flight? How-”

“Whoa, whoa.” Sadie interrupted my flow of questions. “Don’t forget to breathe, brother. Breathe. It’s fashionable this time of life.”

Leo hadn’t seemed phased by my curiosity, but he did pull a face at my last inquiry. “ _Magic_ ?” He sounded somewhat insulted. “Phht- as if _magic_ could do what my baby can. Sorry, kiddo, but it’s all mechanised.” My doppelganger glanced between us. “Gonna take a wild guess and say you guys are children of Hecate? Or, whatever her Roman counterpart is?”

“Trivia is the Roman version, but no.” Annabeth told Leo. “They’re not from Camp Jupiter.”

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Percy’s orange shirt. What was it with these guys and summer camps? Maybe being a demigod was like a part-time job where you only really worked during non-school months? If it were true I would be a little envious. Not having to deal with monsters twenty four, seven, three hundred and sixty five days a year would be _very_ nice.

Leo’s brows drew together. “But… she’s wearing a purple shirt.”

Sadie glanced down at the article of clothing. “It’s a cool color.” She stated matter-of-factly, as if challenging my clone to dispute her fashion sense.

“Sure, sure,” Leo waved aside my sister’s comment. “But then- I mean, where-”

“We’ll fill you in,” Annabeth promised. “For now, worry about setting our course. Percy and I will show the Kanes to their rooms, and then we can all meet in the mess hall. Sound good?” She looked over at me although it was clear that she wasn’t really asking for our permission, merely making a gesture of good faith.

“Sounds like a plan.” I agreed.

Annabeth led us down the flight of stairs to the lower deck. The corridor was wide enough for two people to pass by comfortably, each side of the aisle lined with six doors. Our guide gestured to the first door on the right. “Galley.” The first door on the left. “Mess hall slash meeting room.” The second door on the right. “My room.” The second door on the left. “Percy’s room.” Annabeth stopped outside the third pair of doors. “Your rooms.” She announced with an equal lack of fanfare.

“Where does that lead?” I nodded to the second set of stairs at the end of the hallway.

“The lower level.” Percy answered, leaning against one of the walls. “Houses the armory, the sickbay, the engine room, storage areas, the game room, and the stables.”

Sadie pursed her lips. “Why would you build stables in a flying ship?”

Percy shrugged. “Hey, don’t ask me. I didn’t design the thing.”

“Leo can give you the full tour later. For now, drop off your stuff and get yourselves situated. Then meet us in the mess hall.” Annabeth said.

The two demigods began to leave when Sadie had a thought, turning to ask. “Wait, so where does Leo sleep?”

Percy gave a snort while Annabeth simply huffed in amusement at the remark. “ _When_ he sleeps,” the blond corrected. “He usually sets up a cot in the engine room.” And with that explanation they returned to the deck, leaving me and my sister staring blankly at where they had been.

“He sleeps… _in_ the engine room.” Sadie mused. “Man these people are weird.”

“Says the girl who still sleeps with a stuffed teddy bear at age thirteen.” I muttered.

Sadie shot me a glare before ducking into the room on the left. I followed suit, opening the door on the right and stepping inside. The furnishings were a simple if not effective use of the space. A fold down bed- complete with TempurPedic mattress- was situated on the left wall. Opposite the bed was a walled off portion that housed a toilet, sink, and shower. In the middle of the back wall was a long desk, which included a small table lamp and swivel chair on wheels. And against the right corner was a tall locker without a lock.

I sat down on the bed, taking a quick inventory of my supplies. Thanks to the retrieval mission earlier, I got to spend most of the three hours researching Greek Mythology while Sadie packed her bag. I learned about the twelve main gods (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Apollo, Demeter, and Dionysus), some of the major monsters (Minotaur, Medusa, Cyclops, Pegasus, Centaur, Satyr, and- yes- Gnomes), and major hero figures in Greek history (Achilles, Heracles, Jason and the Argonauts, Perseus, and Theseus).

Then it was time to go. Walt had been waiting for me at the front door (post-shouting match). As I approached, I noticed that Walt didn’t have a bag with him and, at my curios look, the host of Anubis had smiled sadly.

_“I can’t come with you guys. Not on this trip.”_

_“What do you mean?” I frowned. “Why not?”_

_Walt fingered one of the many charms that hung around his neck. “Greek and Egyptian magic's… They can be dangerous if mixed. Powerful, but dangerous.”_

_“What do you mean?” I didn’t quite understand._

_“I don’t know.” Walt admitted with a sad shake of his head. “Anubis won’t tell me. He’s nervous, Carter, and for a god to be scared-”_

_“It must be_ really _bad.” I sighed. I didn’t like the idea of not having Walt at my side, yet I could sympathize with his reasoning. When a god bid you caution, you heeded it. “Have you told Sadie?”_

_Walt laughed, but it was bitter. “Yeah. She already gave me her two cents.”_

_I gave him a long suffering look. “She’ll get over it.” My sister was quick to temper, but she was also quick to acknowledge when she was in the wrong (now, wether or not she actually_ apologized _was a different story entirely)._

_“Eventually, yeah.” Walt nodded, not looking all that reassured. Then he shook his head, offering me a soft smile. “I may not be able to come with, but I’ll see what I can do from here. I’ll try to alert the other nomes about Hathor. That way they can prepare their defenses”_

_“If they’ll even listen to us.” I added with a roll of my eyes._

_“Can’t hurt to try.” Walt and I grasped each other's arms. “Good luck, Carter.”_

A series of knocks drew me from my reprieve. “Carter? You in there?” I stood and walked over to the door, opening it to see Sadie standing in the door frame, arms folded. “We’re waiting for you, slowpoke.”

“Oh, right.” I stepped out, closing the entrance to my room behind me. “Let’s go.”

The mess hall was bigger than the individual rooms, a large central table with seats for eight dominating the center. Along the back wall was a mural depicting what looked to be Ancient greece at first glance. There were temple like structures with towering columns, fountains with statues, pegasi flying in the distant sky, and people in orange shirts and backpacks walking around the open areas. _Backpacks?_ I peered closer to confirm what my eyes had seen, _so then…_ not _Ancient Greece_.

I tore my gaze from the mural, sitting at one of the empty seats across from Sadie, my sister looked a bit haggard at the prospect of sharing the secrets of _ma’at_ with yet _another_ stranger. Percy and Annabeth sat next to each other on my left while Leo sat to my right, perched on the edge of his chair, practically buzzing in anticipation as he looked between the assembled party.

Unable to wait any longer, the Repair Boy blurted, “So what happened?”

I took a deep breath before I began weaving the tale of last evening’s venture. Percy and Annabeth interjected occasionally, explaining a scene from their point of view or describing how they had interpreted my actions. I revealed how we’d defeated the Bennu by pushing it through the portal to Alexandria- explaining the plan by saying how the Alexandrian portal was fully submerged underwater, and that a bird of fire couldn’t survive thousands of feet beneath the ocean- and in the process accidentally released an Egyptian goddess who now wanted to rule over the other gods through complex magic.

Leo was quiet for a long moment. He nodded to himself as if having a conversation within his own mind. “Let’s see if I got this straight... you cracked an egg, set the Metropolitan Museum of Art on fire, played with a phoenix in the park, broke a rock and watched a Goddess come out of it… an _Egyptian_ Goddess, because, you know, Greek and Roman ones weren’t enough of a problem to deal with, and now we need to get across the globe in three days to stop her from having a family reunion that could end the world.” He paused, then grinned. “Sounds like a thanksgiving dinner doomsday.” 

Percy half laughed half groaned, putting a hand over his stomach. “ _Leo._ ” 

“What? Everyone always says that holiday is the end of the world, with the nosy aunts and the grandma’s pinching cheeks-”

Sadie frowned at his antics, her face flushed. “You don’t believe us, do you.”

“Oh, I believe you.” Leo held up his hands in surrender. “It’s too crazy _not_ to be true. I just- Percy, you okay, man?” The rapid shift from joking to genuine concern made us all look at the demigod in question.

Percy did _not_ look okay. His face had lost all color and a sheen of sweat could be seen on his exposed skin. He was gripping his stomach tighter, though he waved his other hand dismissively. “Fine, just- I dunno, seasick I guess. Skysick?” 

“Percy, you’re the son of Poseidon, you don’t get seasick.” Annabeth reminded him, worry creasing her brow.

“Well if I could, I’d imagine it would feel similar to-” The demigod cut himself off, grimacing and quickly holding a fist to his mouth.

“Oh no you don’t! Don’t you _dare,_ Jackson.” Leo sprang up from his chair, bolting from the room only to return moments later with a large copper pot. “I _just_ scrubbed her two days ago.”

The engineer barely got the bin into Percy’s hands before the latter promptly emptied his stomach into the bin. Annabeth muttering soothing words as she rubbed his back in a circular motion. The blond exchanged a look with Leo, her expression one of complete bewilderment.

I never did well with vomit. I turned away from the three demigods, and did an abrupt take at the sight of Sadie. Her own face was drawn and pale, more so than I could dismiss anymore as her unease with sharing secrets. 

“Hey, Leo?” I called as my sister put her own hand over her mouth. “You got any more of those pots?”

“No. _Nononono_ . This _cannot_ be happening.” The mechanic moaned, running from the room once again.

He didn’t make it in time.

I cringed as my sister regurgitated what was once formerly a cheeseburger and chocolate milkshake onto the polished metal floor. My own stomach clenched, but I refused to add to the chaos, looking up at the ceiling instead, until I was sure I had control over my late night/early morning dinner. Leo returned seconds later, another bowl in hand.

He glared at the mess on the floor and sighed. “Okay, all four of you: _out_. Go get some fresh air topside while I clean up.”

None of us argued. Annabeth helped Percy up the steps, Sadie sending me a look that implied she could walk up one measly flight of stairs without assistance. Even so, I remained close enough to give her a hand if needed. The cool air felt good up on deck, and I was surprised to find that the Manhattan skyline had shrunk considerably in the short amount of time we’d been aloft. Sadie and I followed the two demigods over to the railing, the four of us standing in silence for a long time. Sadie pushed some stray hairs out of her face, already looking better than she had down in the mess hall.

“Well that sucked.” She growled.

“Agreed.” Percy said in a tight voice.

Annabeth continued rubbing her boyfriend’s back. “But why would _you_ , of all people, get motion sickness? It’s never bothered you before?” Percy shrugged, apparently not trusting himself to speak.

“Same with Sadie.” I frowned, wondering why it had only affected my sister and the demigod.

If it had just been Percy, I might’ve chalked it up to the fact that he had been wounded from the earlier fight and hadn’t fully recovered. But Sadie had gotten sick as well, and she’d barely expended any of her magical reserves. It couldn’t be that Sadie was just unused to the Argo III, since Percy- who had looked completely at ease on the ship- had the same symptoms. This was something impartial to Egyptian and Greek magic.

Egyptian and Greek- “The nectar!” I snapped my fingers, pointing at Sadie. “You had Greek nectar!” 

“Um…” she blinked, still woozy. “Yeah? So?” 

“And you-” I turned to Percy, “You drank one of Jaz’s healing potions! _Egyptian_ healing potion!” 

Annabeth’s eyes widened as she caught on. “You think that’s what made them sick.”

I nodded, smiling at the discovery despite the situation it had wrought. “ _That’s_ what Walt meant by saying mixing magics could be dangerous.”

“But nectar isn’t magic.” Annabeth debated.

I dismissed the comment. “Poor word choice. What I’m trying to say, is that when a Greek demigod uses an Egyptian healing potion, it has repercussions. And vice versa.”

“Great. Wonderful.” Sadie grimaced. “We’re riding a _Greek_ contraption for the next few days. What could _possibly_ go wrong?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh Sadie... why would you say that???
> 
> More action to come in the next chapter :D
> 
> As always, I love to hear from you guys so feel free to drop a comment or critique down below! Thanks to everyone who does, y'all are amazing!
> 
> <3


	7. Ba Ba Black Sphinx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sadie dreams, Setne schemes, Annabeth uses a curse word, and Percy sleeps through a Sphinx attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Here's wishing you all a happy Thursday- or Friday eve, in other terms ;)  
> Me? A good friend of mine is coming into town today and we're going to be hanging out and catching up over the weekend so I'm super excited!
> 
> This chapter has some action- Woohoo! So I won't delay any longer. Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Sadie POV)**

Turns out, a  _ lot _ of things could go wrong. All at once; and it started with my dream about Elvis and Wonder Woman scheming in a diner.

After divulging the contents of my stomach to everyone, I made the executive decision to take a much needed nap. I hoped that a good rest was all I would need to shake off the after effects of the Greek nectar. Unfortunately, ‘good’ and ‘rest’ are rarely terms that I get to use together in the same sentence. You see, magicians don't just have simple dreams about failing tests or embarrassing yourself on a date. When we sleep, if we’re lucky, we don't dream. If we’re unlucky, we have nightmares or visions.

Typically, annoyingly vague and confusing, not-helpful-in-the-slightest visions.

Without an anchor, my  _ ba _ decided to go on a little trip the moment my head hit the pillow. In my kite form (and that's a bird kite, mind you, not the toy you fly on a windy day with a long piece of string) I found myself soaring over the Golden Gate Bridge, gliding over the waters and rocks below. My  _ ba _ travelled down a confusing labyrinth of streets, the landscape blurring as if someone had clicked the fast  forward button. I caught a quick glimpse of a sign that read ‘Caldecott Tunnel, 2 miles’ before I was dragged abruptly to a halt inside of some restaurant.

I looked around the open space, seeing only a few people in the building. An older couple sat at one of the far tables, a hostess thanked a group of four teens in identical purple shirts as they left, and there was a man hunched over some scrolls at the counter. The gleaming metal sign behind the bar read ‘Delilah’s Diner: Southern Cooking, Western Hospitality’.

Then my head snapped back to the man at the counter. He was rather diminutive in size, with scrawny arms and legs. He wore a skin tight white shirt, and I could see his ribs through the fabric, almost like one of those starving dogs they show pictures of in those guilt commercials. The man had a hawkish nose, and heavy lidded eyes narrowed in concentration. Thin black hair had been slicked back with an obnoxious amount of oil, fashioned in a style similar to the late Elvis Presley.

Even in my  _ ba _ form I managed to scowl at the recognizable figure. Setne: a.k.a. our evil Uncle Vinnie. He was muttering under his breath as he looked between the scrolls on the table. They looked ancient, the edges worn from being handled, the papyrus itself a deep yellow.

“No no no, that word needs to stay. How about… Hrm… Yes, that sounds rather poetic. But then this clause would need to be rephrased. How bothersome.” Setne smiled, the expression vastly contradicting his annoyed tone. “These different magics are so similar, and yet  _ so _ -”

“Complex. But that’s how magic works, I'm afraid.” Setne spun around to face the woman who now stood behind him. She hadn't been there a moment ago. I recognized the Wonder Woman imitator immediately, Hathors black hair was still dripping from our earlier encounter. She tipped her horned head towards the book, “I’ll be taking that.”

Setne grinned at her, making no move to surrender the tome. “Ah, Hathor! So good of you to stop by. You’re looking rather not dead: Were you recently released from the obelisk?”

The goddesses eyes narrowed. “The Book . Now.”

“Sorry, but I stole it  last . Thievers keepers and all that.”

Hathor shrugged with apparent nonchalance, “Well, I tried asking nicely.” With a muttered word the red  _ ankh _ appeared behind her. The other occupants in the restaurant barely even glanced up.

Setne was still smiling. “Unfortunately one of the side effects of being a ghost is that there’s not much essence to consume. You look tired.” Indeed, the effort of conjuring and maintaining the crimson hieroglyph seemed to drain the goddess as her chest heaved with breaths. “Would you like to sit down? You are certainly not in a position to be making demands, my friend. Let me guess? Had a run in with the Kanes, did you?”

Hathor grimaced.

“Thought so. They can be tragically bothersome, can't they. Sit, sit.” Setne motioned to the stool next to him. “Might as well enjoy your resurrection. Would you like something to eat? They have  _ excellent _ soul food here, scored a four point four on Yelp.”

Hathor dropped the  _ ankh _ spell, the red symbol fading as she looked around the restaurant with newfound approval. “I could devour a few souls.”

“Hrm, wrong kind of soul, I'm afraid.” Setne looked amused at the goddesses misunderstanding. “More fried batter than lifeblood. So tell me, why do you need the Book?”

Hathor slipped into the seat on his right, casting a wary gaze at the contents on the counter. Apparently, she trusted the magician as much as me. “I don't plan on being a minor God for much longer.” She eventually explained.

Understanding crested Setne’s face. “Ah! So you want to consume the essence of the Egyptian gods? Ascend to your father's throne? Though, technically it’s not his anymore- all well and good, but why settle for so  _ little _ ?”

“What do you mean?” The goddess frowned, kohl lined eyes narrowed.

Setne’s hand trailed lovingly over the old pages before him, a dangerous glint to his eyes as he regarded the newly resurrected goddess. “Let’s just say I have been... expanding my horizons, as of late.” A coy smirk skewed his lips. “So, let's make a deal, you and I, yes? I will help you become ultimate supreme ruler of the cosmos, while you go and destroy the other three renditions of Cleopatra’s Needle. I’ll even take care of those Kane kids for you, free of charge.”

“And what would you get out of this bargain?”

Setne spread his hands. “Free reign to experiment with this new magic and infinite test subjects.”

I didn’t think it was possible for my stomach to churn any more than it had earlier, but the thought of a powerful evil goddess teaming up with a powerful evil magician did  _ not _ sit well with me. Hathor had hesitated, probably contemplating her options. If she was smart, she would also be considering how to counter when Setne eventually, inevitably, double crossed her.

“Come now, this is the deal of the millennia! Win-win. Going once…” He held up a finger. “Going twice…” A second joined the first. He waited a moment longer before shrugging with a frown and lowering his hand. “Gon-”

“Deal.”

Setne’s grin returned much to fast to be purely reationary, my eyes narrowed, realizing he had somehow  _ known _ Hathor would not deny his help. I watched as Setne rubbed his hands together and turning back to his scrolls.

“Excellent! Now, I think I’ll try… oh, this word sounds rather cataclysmic, don’t you think? Pernicious. Just rolls right off the tongue. If my theory ends up being correct, then with this  _ one _ spell I can-”

Remember what I said about these dreams being incredibly unhelpful? Right, because it was at that exact moment that my  _ ba _ decided it was bored of the scene before me, my view tunneling into black as I was transported to a new location. 

I was standing in some sort of temple, no longer in the form of a feathered kite. Towering stone figures flanked the long hallway before me, a cherry red carpet running the length of the central walkway. As my  _ ba _ moved forwards, I could see two people at the end of the room. One was seated atop a golden throne, the other knelt at the base of the raised area. As she stood, I saw that the latter was a tall, lithe woman with black hair dressed in a skin tight, leopard print leotard.

“Bast!” I found myself smiling.

I hadn’t seen the goddess since the final battle against Apophis. The woman seemed to ignore my presence as she began talking to the man on the throne.  _ Duh! Wake up, Sadie _ . I mentally smacked myself,  _ you’re not actually there, they can’t hear you _ . Like I said. Annoying.

“- not ready for his final ride of the solar cycle next week.” Bast was saying. My mental scolding had distracted me from hearing the first part of her sentence. “It must be postponed.”

“You know I cannot allow that.”

I refocused my attention on the person seated on the throne. He looked like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, only a lot younger. The teen sported magnificently ripped muscles for a kid his size. The only hair on his shaved head was a small black braid originating from the back of his skull. He was adorned in plain leather armour, a  _ khopesh _ resting in a sheath at his waist. His eyes were the most telling; the left was a bright silver while the right was hued a deep gold.

My brothers former host, Horus, Lord of the Sky, looked sadly at Bast. “We have already delayed the end of the cycle for a month. To postpone it any longer could have immense consequences for mortals and gods alike.”

Bast bared her teeth in annoyance. She opened her mouth to speak but all that emerged was a bleated clanging noise. 

I jolted awake as the Argo III listed sideways. “What in the name of Ra?” I grumbled as the mechanical goat-like noise rang once more. The sound was bouncing off the walls of the metal ship and echoed in my head like a school fire drill. 

Wait- wait, was this gods awful racket supposed to be an  _ alarm? _ I unplugged my ears and jumped out of bed, grabbing my staff and bursting out into the hallway. Carter was just emerging from his room as well,  _ khopesh _ in hand. Before either of us could so much as look at one another, the Argo III lurched again, the shriek of metal from above grinding in our ears. Carter and I ran to the end of the hallway, ascending the stairs to the upper deck.

“What  in the-” Carter’s sentiment matched my own wordless thought.

Two large, winged lions were making a mess on the deck of the ship, their fur a dark onyx black and their feathers a coal gray with hints of gold among the plumage. One was pawing at the central mast like it was a large scratching post; the other stomped around near the bow area as it swiped at something. A very small something that turned out to be the blond daughter of Athena. The girl was expertly dodging the monster’s attacks, but her own strikes didn’t seem to be doing much damage. The lion she was engaged with turned around to reposition itself, trampling a megaphone shaped device as it moved. The wailing goat noise ceased.

Apparently these lions disliked the goat-racket as much as my  _ ba _ did. 

“That was  _ brand new _ !” Leo yelled from the control panel, audible now that he didn’t have to yell over the alarm as well as the battle. “Annabeth,  _ please _ get your lion under control! And that is  _ not _ a    
toy-  _ Down  _ kitty! Get  _ off _ .  _ My _ .  _ MAST! _ ”

Leo directed the last comment to the other monster, using the X-box controller to swing the right crossbow around and fire an arrow at the winged beast. The bolt exploded upon impact, effectively knocking the creature away from the metal post. The ship’s main mast was slightly scorched from the blow, appearing to be more surface damage than structural. As the lion turned to snarl at Leo, Carter and I saw that the creature had a  _ human _ head. That of a woman to be precise, with kohl lined red eyes and an egyptian pharaoh's headdress framed by the huge pair of condor wings that sprouted from her back. 

“Sphinx’s.” I growled. “It  _ had _ to be sphinxes.”

“But,” Carter had frowned. “Sphinxes don’t have wings-”

“Does that matter?” I gave him a shove towards the quarterdeck. “Help Leo, I’ll go save blondie.” Without waiting for his response, I turned and ran towards the bow. The black sphinx roared as Annabeth’s strike connected, the girl rolling to the side as the monster countered. The beast was quick, though, and the swipe turned into a backhanded blow, sending the daughter of Athena crashing to the side.

I raised my palm as the sphinx pressed the advantage. “ _ Drowah _ .”  _ Boundary _ . A wall of light separated Annabeth from the creature. The sphinx hissed in displeasure at the sudden barrier between her and her would-be meal. Turning to face me, the monster’s human face scowled.

“Yes, well, I’m none too happy either.” I said, channeling magical energy through my staff. “You woke me from my beauty sleep.” I thrust the weapon forwards. “ _ Sa-Mir _ .” The hieroglyph for  _ pain _ flickered across the lion’s body, the sphinx roaring in, well, pain as it stumbled away from Annabeth. It pawed at it’s own skin, trying- unsuccessfully- to get rid of the symbols.

I wasn’t done. Next I grasped one of the amulets Walt had given me, it was a simple charm; a flat silver hand in the shape of the hieroglyph for ‘fist’. Or, as the spell was called: “ _ Ha-Wai _ .” I cried, watching as the glowing golden fist of Horus assimilated into existence and  slammed into the sphinx, the monster crashing over the ship’s low railing and tumbling over the edge.

_ One down _ , I allowed myself a quick smile before rushing over to the blond. Annabeth had managed to stand, one hand pressed into her side, the other gripping the railing like a lifeline. In her hand she clutched a short bronze dagger.

“You okay?” I asked.

The girl winced but nodded. “I’ve had worse. Thanks, I-” Her sentence died as she looked at something behind me. She frowned, “Is that… a giant glowing chicken man?”

I looked over my shoulder to see that Carter had summoned his combat avatar, swinging his  _ khopesh _ at the other sphinx. Giant glowing chicken man was a pretty apt description. Carter’s body was encased in a glowing blue, twenty foot tall form of Horus, in the armored form of a man from the shoulders down, but with the head of bird. 

Leo was helping as much as he could from the control deck, occasionally firing the crossbow or shooting fire from his hands at the creature.  _ Okay, that’s new _ , I thought. Since when could the repair boy control flames? That Percy kid seemed to be able to control water, from what I’d witnessed back in Central Park. I wondered if all greeks could control an element and felt a moment of envy. It looked so much quicker than my hieroglyphs, but then again Leo’s flames didn’t seem to be making nearly as much of an impact on the creatures.

“He insists it’s a falcon.” I said in response to Annabeth’s question. I frowned as I looked around the deck once more. “Where’s Percy?” I had a second to panic over the thought of the taller boy having fallen over the edge of the ship before the blonde smiled.

“Probably sleeping.” She said seriously, but couldn’t hide an amused fondness about this part of her boyfriend. “He’s still not feeling too good.” 

“ _ Sleeping _ ?” I looked at her incredulously. “Through  _ this _ ?” Even Carter couldn’t sleep that deeply.

Annabeth just shrugged. “He’s slept in, hell, before. This probably sounds like background noise to him.”

Something was wrong with the way she was speaking. It was like watching a poorly dubbed video. The greek demigod’s mouth had moved much longer than the one word, and yet her voice had only spoken the single syllable: hell. With a weird pause in the middle of her otherwise normal sentence. 

Before I could mention this, a dark blur flashed over the side of the ship. The second sphinx landed once more near the bow, looking none too pleased that it had been sent for a brief skydive.  _ Oh, yeah _ , I remembered much  _ much _ too late.  _ They have wings _ .

If it wasn’t for Annabeth’s quick reaction I would’ve been shredded by the sharp claws that lashed out. The demigod tackled me out of the way, linebacker style. We fell to the deck, the gleaming claws whooshing overhead as the sphynx landed behind us. Annabeth sprang back to her feet, hissed “Don’t lose focus, Sadie.” and promptly took off, running towards the monster. She slid underneath the belly of the black sphinx, slicing her dagger along it’s midriff before rolling out from underneath the beast.

“Right.” I said to myself as I stood, rubbing where my head had hit the deck.

Out of my peripherals, I could see Carter in a sort of tug-of-war with the other sphinx. The monster having caught his  _ knopesh _ with it’s mouth, the two adversaries straining against the opposing ends. Pfft. He was fine.

I ran through the list of spells in my mental library, deciding on- arguably- my favorite and most effective hieroglyph. Extending a hand towards the monster who was now trying to pounce on Annabeth like she was the world’s biggest cat toy (if it weren’t for the fact that the situation was so dangerous I might’ve found the scene to be funny), I summoned a large portion of my magical reserves and yelled, “ _ Ha-Di! _ ”

The resulting explosion would have made fourth-of-july firework enthusiasts jealous. The blast sent the Sphinx crashing to the deck. Annabeth stumbled from the shock wave but somehow managed to keep her footing. The demigod quickly took the advantage my attack provided, jumping onto the fallen monster and plunging her short dagger into the nape of its neck. With one final howl, the sphinx disintegrated into a pile of sand.

The blond stood, brushing a stray hair from her face. Annabeth smiled at me, flipping the dagger in one hand as she offered me the other. I gripped it and felt the girl’s casual muscle as she pulled me to my feet, suddenly understanding how she’d resisted my spell. This demigod was  _ strong _ , and that strength… it had just slayed a beast that had been bent on killing us. And saved me from having to cast another spell. 

Might and magic. Seemed like a good combination to me. 

_ “Sadie!” _

My heart skipped a beat at the all too-familiar call for help. I turned to see the second sphinx’s wings flare as it jumped over the side and began flying away from the ship: with Carter in tow. They had never finished their game of tug of war, the sphinx still holding one end of my brother’s  _ khopesh _ in it’s mouth. The explosion must’ve scared the creature into retreating, unwittingly dragging my  poor brother along for a joyride. I ran to the edge of the ship as the glowing blue combat avatar was dragged farther away.

Now that it was safely away from the ship, the sphinx seemed to realize it had a passenger. It’s four clawed appendages began scratching at the blue avatar, Carter struggling to fend off the attacks with one hand, his other current preoccupied with holding on to the sword still held in the sphinx’s mouth. I knew he would never let go of it. He wouldn’t risk losing his  _ khopesh _ , this one had been a gift from Zia after he’d lost his first in the Nile river a year ago  (long story) .

Leo pulled some levers on the control panel to change his ship’s preprogrammed course. The Argo III shuddered as it slowly changed course. Too slowly.

I was mad. My date with Walt the other day had been ruined by the escape of a goddess. Typical. My dinner had been rejected thanks to some stupid greek potion. Boo-hoo. My sleep had been interrupted by flying monsters. Fine. But my brother? Carter was off limits.  _ No one  _ was allowed to harm my brother.

I extended the ivory staff, channeling my rage into the instrument as I commanded, “ _ Hu-Ai! _ ” Fall.

The sphynx dropped as if it had struck a wall, wings flared in a desperate effort to slow the rapid descent. Still holding onto the combat avatar’s weapon, I could only watch as Carter was dragged down with the monster. I prayed that he understood what I was trying to do. The blue hawk warrior flickered out of existence moments before the sphinx slammed into the churning ocean waters below, turning to dust on impact.

A bit light headed from the rapid expension of energy, I leaned against the railing, forcing myself to take slow breaths as the ringing in my ears subsided. When I could hear again, I realized that Annabeth was directing Leo to lower the ship.

“-might still be alive.” The blond was saying.

“Annabeth,” Leo said cautiously. “From this height-”

“Bring us down.” Annabeth demanded, her calm, no-nonsense delivery ten times more frightening than if she had shouted.

“Don’t bother.” I smiled as I turned around, having spotted a bird flying low along the water.

I was shocked as the blonde fighter whirled on me, her eyes sparking like lightning storms. “I don’t know how you  _ Egyptians  _ do things,” she spat the title like an insult, “but we  _ Greeks  _ don’t leave allies behind.” 

Normally I would have been equally irate at the suggestion that I didn’t care about my own brother’s life, but the drain of magic had left my brain sluggish to the point that it took a moment to even understand what she was getting at. The faster part of my mind realized that they didn’t know the extent of Carter’s magical abilities; it seemingly looked like I’d just drowned him. I should probably tell them that wasn’t the case. 

Before I could do so, the door to the stairway burst open. Percy charged onto the deck, sword in hand as he looked around wildly. It was obvious from his bedhead that he’d just woken up, his orange t-shirt rumpled and a pair of seahorse print boxers hanging from his waist. His eyes skipped from the crushed satellite, to the shredded mast, and finally, to us.

“Everything okay?” He asked, blinking away sleep.

Annabeth turned, “No. Everything is  _ not _ okay. Carter-”

Before she could misinform her boyfriend of my brother’s meeting a watery grave, the bird I’d noticed earlier squawked, landing between me and the demigods. Percy raised his sword hesitantly towards the animal. The falcon snapped its beak twice before beginning to transform; the beak shortened, molding itself into a human nose. The body elongated, wings reforming into arms, feathers into fingers. It’s taloned claws became sneakers and before long, Carter was standing in front of me and the demigods.

My brother shot me a smile before sitting back hard on the deck. His head tilted skywards as he gulped in air. “That.” He said in mild annoyance. “Was not fun. Not fun at all.”

“You’re welcome. Again.” I crossed my arms. “That’s the second time in two days that I’ve had to save you. Don’t you go making this a habit.” Carter just huffed. The demigods hadn’t spoken a word. They had all just stood gaping at my brother like he was some circus sideshow act.

Leo was the first to recover. “Dude, you’re not dead?”

My brother frowned, looking down at his chest as if suddenly unsure. “I don’t think I am.” Carter pinched his arm and winced. “Nope. Still not dead.”

Annabeth- for once- seemed at a loss for words. “But you- how- we saw-”

“Magic.” I answered the unspoken question. “It can do more than just make things go ‘boom’ you know. Transformation magic, for example, allowed Carter here turn into a chicken.”

“Falcon.” Carter corrected with a scowl. “I become a falcon.”

“My bad, a  _ flying _ chicken. My point is,” I looked back at Annabeth, “We  _ Egyptians _ don’t sacrifice our family. Or friends. Or allies.” I added the last one as a side thought.

Leo pursed his lips. “So can you just turn into any animal whenever you want? Like Frank?”

I had no idea who Frank was. “Carter and I can only turn into birds. Transformation magic requires a bit more effort on the part of the caster, it can be dangerous,” I warned. “Spend too long in animal form and you may not be able to change back.”

Carter snickered. “Sadie once got stuck as a kite when we were going through airport security.”

“Shut it.” I growled.

“So-” At some point during the conversation, Percy’s sword had vanished. “Everyone’s okay?” He asked again.

“No.” Leo huffed, “Everyone is  _ not _ okay. Just look at my baby’s mast! It’s been turned into a freaking scratching post! Why do they  _ always _ go for the mast?” He moaned, walking over to the metal structure and inspecting the damage with a scowl. He glared back at the rest of us. “From now on, protect the ship first, and  _ then _ worry about your own skins.”

I decided not to point out how ridiculous his statement was, opting for a simple shrug.

“Sure.” Percy’s voice was strained, looking over I saw the telltale signs that came with being sick. “Excuse me real quick.” He barely made it to the edge of the rail before he hurled the rest of his stomach over the side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Poor Percy... guy's never been seasick before, my heart goes out to him.
> 
> As always, I encourage you to leave your thoughts and critiques below! Reading them makes me smile every time (like this ->) :D
> 
> Have a great end to the week!  
> <3


	8. Taco's, Translations, and Temper Tantrums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the battle, Percy puts on some pants, Leo makes taco's, Annabeth asks questions, and Carter explodes.
> 
> Or: The one time Percy realizes that HE has to be the voice of reason. And he does not enjoy this newfound responsibility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I KNEW I forgot to do something yesterday! Why didn't any of you guys tell me I didn't upload the new chapter???? Bad Ardoa! Bad!  
> Sorry about the delay- at least the good news is that I'll be posting Chapter 9 tomorrow IAW the upload schedule :)
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Percy POV)**

Waking up to the sounds of battle was something Percy had become accustomed to over the long span of his demigod life. So when the Argo III was rocked by an explosion louder than Zeus’ lightning, Percy wasted no time in grabbing his pen and bolting out into the corridor without hesitation. Clicking the top of the writing tool, he felt his sword, Riptide, manifest in all of it’s celestial bronze glory.

The son of Poseidon ran to the stairwell, taking the metal steps two at a time and bursting out onto the main deck, sword poised to strike at- nothing?

Percy blinked a few times, glancing at the crushed alarm, to the shredded main mast, before finally resting on the other three people up on deck. “Everything okay?” He asked hesitantly, glancing at the enraged face of his girlfriend. The look was adorable in that ‘I-am-going-to-stab-something’ kind of way. Only it would be far more adorable if not directed at him. Sadie looked dazed while Leo had pulled an uncomfortable expression.

“No. Everything’s _not_ okay.” Annabeth growled. “Carter-”

She was interrupted by a squawking sound as a large bird landed in the center between the two girls. The other demigods and Sadie had turned their attention to the feathered animal. The middle of a group of humans thousands of miles offshore was not a normal landing spot for aviation. Percy uncertainly raised Riptide in its direction. The bird snapped its beak at him, beady black eyes looking at the blade Percy’ brandished. And then the bird began to not be a bird.

Percy had seen Frank transform before, and in his opinion, transformations were _ugly_. Watching bird feathers change shades and sprout fingernails? Gross. Seeing talons melting together to form a shoe? Eww. Observing as the bird’s eyes grew unnaturally far apart and seeing the beak shrink into the face? No thank you.

Nonetheless, Percy could never turn away from the sight and instead watched as the feathers molted to reveal Carter’s face underneath, the boy working his jaw loose as his teeth grew back in from the beak. The kid looked back at Sadie before practically falling to the floor, his hands propped behind him as he looked skywards and took heaving breaths.

“That.” Carter sounded annoyed for some reason. “Was not fun. Not fun at all.”

A smile tugged at Sadie’s mouth. “You’re welcome. Again.” The girl crossed her arms. “That’s the second time in two days that I’ve had to save you. Don’t you go making this a habit.” She scolded.

“Dude, you’re not dead?” Leo sounded amazed.

Percy frowned at the implication, coming to the realization that he’d missed out on something. A battle by the state the Argo III was in. Although what could create such deep grooves in the celestial bronze mast Percy wasn’t sure. He sheathed Riptide, pocketing the now-pen and tuning back into the conversation that had carried on while he had his moment of revelation.

“Carter and I can only turn into birds.” Sadie was saying. “Transformation magic requires a bit more effort on the part of the caster, it can be dangerous. Spend too long in animal form and you may not be able to change back.”

Carter found her statement rather funny. “Sadie once got stuck as a kite when we were going through airport security.”

“Shut it.” 

“So- Everyone’s okay?” Percy reaffirmed, the adrenalin rush fading from his system as his stomach decided to remind him that he still wasn’t feeling all that well.

“No.” Leo huffed, “Everyone is _not_ okay. Just look at my baby’s mast! It’s been turned into a freaking scratching post! Why do they _always_ go for the mast?” He moaned, walking over to the metal structure and inspecting the damage with a scowl. He glared back at the rest of them. “From now on, protect the ship first, and _then_ worry about your own skins.”

Percy could agree with the son of Hephaestus’ logic. If the ship went down, their quest would pretty much be over. Not to mention the fall would probably kill them. All he could manage, however, was, “Sure. Excuse me real quick.”

He barely made it to the edge of the rail before he hurled what was left in his stomach over the side. After a moment he spit into the wind, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. Looking back up, Percy noticed that Annabeth was standing besides him, a gentle look in her eyes.

“Are _you_ okay?” She asked.

Percy shrugged. “I’ve been better. Healing potions and bacon burger supremes do _not_ mix well.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “If you’re already making jokes you must be feeling alright.”

“What exactly happened while I was asleep?”

“Two sphinx’s attacked.” Annabeth explained. “Sadie and I took out one, the other flew off with Carter in his glowing chicken form-”

“His what?”

“- and Sadie pointed her staff at it, cast some spell, and we watched it dive bomb into the ocean.”

Percy’s head was spinning, fortunately not from queeziness anymore. He couldn’t believe he’d slept through the _entire_ battle. He’d been drained by the fight in Central Park, because- despite appearances- manhandling a giant flaming bird through a wormhole with only a wave of water wasn’t an easy feat. That alone would have given him a heavy night of sleep, but combined with his first experience of ‘skysickness’ he’d been unconscious to the world as soon as the nausea paused long enough for his head to hit the pillow. While he was glad to be feeling better, he was also feeling guilty about inadvertently leaving his allies to fight on their own.

“Are those… seahorses?”

Percy’s thoughts were interrupted and he glanced at Carter, the kid looked mildly amused about something. “Seahorses? What do you- oh gods.” Percy looked down at his boxers. In his rush to join the battle, he hadn’t stopped to pull on a pair of shorts over the aquatic print briefs. Refusing to look undignified, Percy rose to his own defense. “Horses came from the sea.”

Carter managed to smile and look confused at the same time. “But those aren’t-”

“He thinks it’s punny.” Annabeth interrupted.

“Just go with it.” Leo advised, having finished his inspection of the mast.

Sadie glanced at Leo. “So, remind me why your ship’s alarm sounds like a mechanical goat? It took me a moment to even realize what it was.”

“Coach Hedge insisted on it.” Leo raised his hands in surrender. “Wanted to strike fear into the hearts of our enemies by having it shout ‘You will feel the pain of a thousand deaths’ repeatedly. Although I may have gotten the translation wrong. I think it actually says ‘You will feel the pain of a thousand cupcakes’.”

“Who’s Coach Hedge?” Sadie inquired.

“He’s an old goat- satyr, technically. Likes to kill stuff with his baseball bat.” Percy supplied.

Carter frowned. “How could you mistake the word ‘death’ with ‘cupcakes’?”

“Have you ever had to translate satyr to english?” Leo asked. “It’s not like there was a do-it-yourself instruction book for it.”

“While we’re on the subject of explaining things,” Annabeth began, “why only birds?”

Carter tilted his head, “Come again?”

“Sadie said you can only transform into birds. Why?”

The siblings shared a long look, having another unspoken conversation. Percy noticed that they’d done it a few times since coming aboard. It was obvious that Sadie was usually arguing on the side of secrecy, while Carter mostly favored being open with information. When Sadie won the argument, a vague answer would be given. When Carter won, lengthy, detailed explanations- arguably _too_ lengthy- would be disclosed.

Sadie won this one.

Carter sighed, standing and brushing his hands on his trousers. “Well, the falcon is the symbol of Horus. Since I was the host of Horus, falcon transformations come easier for me. Honestly, though, I haven’t attempted to turn into any other animal.”

“You said Sadie was stuck as a kite once.” Percy said, not pointing out the obvious issue of kites being inanimate objects.

Sadie nodded. “Kites are the symbol of Isis. My former host.”

Leo tapped his toolbelt. “They had _kites_ in Ancient Egypt? What were they made out of? Reeds and that old yellow paper stuff?”

“Yellow paper stuff- Papyrus?” Now Carter looked confused. “Why would a bird be made of paper?”

“Bird? You said kite.” Leo pointed out.

Sadie rolled her eyes. “A kite _is_ a bird.”

“Who’d name a bird after a toy?” Percy wondered aloud.

His girlfriend grinned at him. “Percy, I’m fairly sure the bird came first. I’m more worried about those monsters, though. They seemed… off.”

Carter nodded. “Agreed. They looked wrong. Since when do sphinx’s have wings?”

“Sphinx’s always have wings.” Annabeth said, waving aside the younger boy’s comment. “But since when do they wear those weird crowns? And why didn’t they talk?”

Sadie appeared to find the last question funny. She chuckled for a good moment before saying, “As if a sphinx could _talk_. They’re usually more focused on eating tasty human morsels than engaging in simple conversation. What would they even say; ‘Hi, you are trespassing. I will devour you now’?”

Percy scratched the back of his head, a growing sense of unease forming in his mind. “Don’t sphinx’s like to spout riddles? Like the one in Daedalus’ Labyrinth?” Percy glanced at Annabeth who nodded confirmation.

“To be fair,” his girlfriend said. “That sphinx made us play a trivia game because everyone had figured out the riddle.”

Percy nodded, remembering the incident. Then he glared at Annabeth, “For the record, I’m still mad at you for not just answering her questions.”

His girlfriend scoffed, turning her head to the side and causing her golden pony tail to arc around. “‘For the record, it was an insult to my intelligence.”

“What intelligence?” Leo joked, the son of Hephaestus finding himself at the receiving end of Annabeth’s death glare and strategically positioning himself so that his doppleganger was between him and the blond.

Carter was shaking his head, “But what would it be doing in a maze? They guard the entrances to Ancient Egyptian temples…” The kid trailed off, his eyes losing their focus and staring off into the distance. His eyes narrowed and his lips moved silently, as if he was talking to himself. Unconsciously, the kid reached up to finger a pendent hanging from a small chord around his neck.

“Carter?” Sadie eyed her brother cautiously.

“Oh that is _not_ good.” Carter muttered as he blinked, seeming to come out of his trance-like state.

Percy made a mental note to get the kid a thesaurus; ‘not good’ in Carter terms seemed to equate to ‘disastrous’. “What’s not good?” He asked, already dreading the answer.

“How would you describe a normal sphinx?” Carter said, directing the question at Annabeth.

The daughter of Athena shrugged. “Winged lions with the head of a woman who test a demigods knowledge by asking them a riddle.”

Carter took a deep breath, running a hand through his tangled locks. “In Egyptian mythology, sphinx’s are wingless creatures. Body of a lion, head of a pharaoh. They don’t speak at all.” He explained.

“So there are dude sphinx’s?” Leo wondered, raising an eyebrow.

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. “Egyptians had female pharaohs too, Leo.”

Carter nodded. “Yes, but there are male sphinx’s. Sphinx’s are the creatures of law and order, protectors of Egypt. They’re on _our_ side… usually.” He added the last word as an afterthought.

“Someone should’ve told that to them.” Leo muttered.

“That’s just the thing.” Carter looked at each of them in turn. “They weren’t ‘normal’ to any of us. They had wings. They had the head of pharaohs. They didn’t talk. And they attacked Sadie and I, even though we-” He cut himself off abruptly, eyes darting to his sister. “Even though we’re magician of the House of Life. Even starved, they should have at least hesitated when we arrived.”

Annabeth seemed to understand what he was getting at. “Someone is trying to combine monsters?”

The unease Percy had noticed earlier bloomed at his girlfriend's words. Monsters of any kind were hard enough to defeat. Having to battle strange, hybrid combinations of the beasts? Percy remembered their recent endeavors when gods and monsters alike had their Roman and Greek aspects combined. The world had almost ended. Again. And now it seemed like something similar was occurring, this time between Egyptian and Greek folklore.

Percy wasn’t altogether sure he was ready for that.

“Someone, or something, is messing with Egyptian and Greek magic.” Carter said, spelling it out. “But, I don’t know why.” 

Silence descended on the five teenagers as each grimly contemplated those words. Sadie broke the stillness, clearing her throat. The typically confident girl was nervously tapping her staff as she shifted from foot to foot. “I-” She swallowed. “I think I may know who. But we’re probably all going to want to sit down. It’s a bit of a long story.”

Carter frowned at his sister. “Who do you think it is?”

After a pause, the girl sighed. “Setne.”

“Oh...” Carter’s face had paled considerably. “That is a long story.”

“In that case,” Leo piped up. “Maybe we should give Percy a chance to put on pants first.” 

“And brush his teeth.” Annabeth readily agreed.

“Hey!” Percy protested their reasonable teasing, pulling down the ends of his camp shirt at the reminder of his current state of less-dress.

“I’m not kissing you until you do.” 

He felt himself blush even as he mumbled, “I would’ve done it anyways…” 

Leo raised a hand, grinning wide in amusement. “I’m not kissing you either way, if that’s all right.”

Fifteen minutes later, the three demigods and two magicians were seated around the mess hall table. While Percy had gone to make himself presentable- and kissable, in Annabeth’s case- Leo had worked his magic in the kitchen, cooking up a small batch of tacos that now sat as an appetising centerpiece.

He’d presented the plate of food with a flourish. “Chef Leo’s Taco Garage is fixing you up!”

“Tacos? For breakfast?” Annabeth asked.

“And lunch. And dinner. Although I’ve got tofu burgers if any of you guys are vegetarians.” Leo declared. “It’s food for the soul.”

Percy saw Sadie wince at the statement. He decided to change the topic, “So who’s this Setne person? Carter seemed pretty spooked by him.”

“Setne.” Sadie grabbed one of the tacos taking a big bite. “Or as I like to call him Evil Uncle Vinnie.”

“Uncle?” Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

“Not related by blood.” Carter assured. “Or well, barely. His great-times-ten ancestor is related to our great-times-ten ancestor. He‘s supposed to be dead, _was_ dead, until…”

“Lemme guess, someone brought him back.” Leo sighed. “I remember a time when people who died stayed dead.” Carter and Sadie shared another quick glance, this time agreeing on the simpler answer.

“Basically.” Sadie rubbed the back of her neck. “Setne is a pathological liar, a scoundrel, a traitor, a thief-”

“And a brilliant magician.” Her brother interjected. “Which, as you might imagine, is not a good combination.”

“Still waiting to know what a magician actually is.” Leo commented offhandedly. “Just by the by. I’m guessing it doesn’t have to do with rabbits and hats.”

Carter smiled at the childish description. “I’m afraid not. Egyptian magic is the art in which a magician, such as myself and Sadie, expend magical energy into something usable; like a spell. We have to be careful with how much we use at a given time, exerting too much energy can cause our life force to burn to ashes. Literally, we can burn up.”

“Huh. Never had that problem myself.” Leo muttered, glancing down at the hands in his lap with a frown.

“So- your Evil Uncle is back from the dead.” Percy prompted, refocusing on the issue at hand. “And is really good at the same magic you two use.” 

“Better.” Carter huffed. “He _created_ the shadow execration spell. It’s spell that can destroy a god completely.” The boy explained before Annabeth could ask. “After he died, he was put on trial for his four thousand and ninety two attempts to blackmail the gods.”

Percy blinked in shock. That sounded badass in a very suicidal way for anyone, magician or not. He was still convinced Zeus resented him for tricking the gods into promising that all demigods would be claimed by their parents, and that promise was something Percy had earned fair and square. 

“He used magic for evil purposes; including twenty three murders, plotting against three separate pharaohs, attempting to overthrow the House of Life on six different occasions, and robbing the tombs of the dead to steal books of magic.” Carter listed the wrongdoings off like they were a grocery list. “He was sentenced to oblivion four times, but managed to talk his way out of it on each occasion.”

“Talk about a silver tongue,” Percy mumbled, seeing Leo nod silently in agreement. Even the hispanic boy’s humor had dried at the idea of someone who could do all of that even in the afterlife. 

Annabeth shook herself out of her shock. “What _idiot_ let that guy out of the Underworld?”

The siblings looked at each other guiltily, then mumbled, “Us.”

The room was quiet for three whole seconds.

“You. Did. _What!_ ” Annabeth practically screamed the last word. “Why in Hades name would you do something so reckless?”

Carter met her gaze unflinchingly. “We were trying to save the world. Setne was the only one who had the information we needed and-”

“And so you decided to free him?” Annabeth looked at the magicians incredulously. “Were you even _thinking_ of the potential consequences-”

“Considering the alternative was, oh yeah, another _apocalypse,_ ” Sadie’s temper snapped to match, “I’d say we made the right call. Besides, it’s not like we _planned_ his escape. He tricked us, which- as Carter mentioned- is kinda his specialty.” 

“Regardless of how he got free, we have to deal with him now.” Percy said, his tone smoothing over their anger like a wave on uneven sand. “What’s done is done. Let’s figure out how to fix it.” The Son of Poseidon looked at Sadie. “You said you know Setne is behind the Greek and Egyptian monster combo? How can you be sure?”

And that’s when Sadie explained her vision. She described the meeting of Elvis and Wonder Woman in a diner in San Francisco with surprising detail, explaining how Setne seemed fixated on what Sadie realized was the Book of Thoth and some random scrolls. At the mention of the latter, Carter frowned. Sadie went on to explain that Setne had told Hathor about him expanding his horizons with different magic that was similar yet complex. Carter began fiddling with his necklace as Sadie wrapped up her explanation.

Percy looked at the boy. “I take it you know what evil Elvis was talking about?”

“I have an idea,” Carter admitted. “But I hope I’m wrong. I think he was casting spells from the, ancient, Texts.”

“What are the Ancient Texts?” Annabeth asked, sounding slightly annoyed at all of the new vocabulary.

Carter frowned. “Ancient Texts? They’re called the, ancient, Texts.”

“... that’s what she said.” Percy mirrored the kids expression.

“No, she said ancient.” Sadie pointed to his girlfriend, then to her brother. “Carter said pyramid.” 

Percy glanced at his fellow demigods, relieved they looked just as confused as he did.

The magicians, on the other hand, were looking at the three of them as though they were the crazy ones. “You know, pyramids? Triangle things in egypt? P-y-r-a-m-i-d?”

“They are _not_ triangles.” Annabeth immediately corrected her. “They have _three_ dimensions-” 

“Architecture lecture later, Wise Girl.” Percy mumbled, while still smiling at her endearingly. 

“Okay, so why do you keep saying Ancient texts? They’re the, ancient, Texts.” Carter said. 

Annabeth threw both her hands in the air. “See, you just said ‘ancient’ twice!” 

“Again.” Leo added unhelpfully.

This time, Percy had seen it. There was a weird pause when Carter said the word ‘ancient’ for the second time. Almost like a badly translated movie where the dubbed language didn’t quite sync with the lip movements of a character. 

Percy held up his hand to stop Sadie from speaking, seeing the girls were ready to get into the unhelpful back and forth- albeit, far wordier- version of kids screaming ‘did to!’ and ‘did nots!’ at one another. “No, wait- say it again, slowly. Annabeth watch their lips this time.”

Sadie rolled her eyes and said with far too much exaggeration. “An-ci-ent, Te-xt-sss.” But rather than ‘ancient’, the first word was mouthed like ‘pyramid’. Starting with her lips closed and the syllables still slightly mistimed.

“Mist?” Annabeth blinked, relaxing as the mystery was solved. “It’s the Mist.”

“More like extreme ventriloquism.” Leo muttered, catching it as well. “You’re saying one thing but we’re hearing something else. Is this what happens to normal mortals around monsters?”

“Wait a minute- then the same thing happened on deck during the fight!” Sadie snapped her fingers, and looked at Annabeth. “When you said ‘hell’!” 

“You were _swearing?”_ Percy looked at his girlfriend in shock. 

“Coach Hedge would _not_ approve.” Leo agreed.

Annabeth looked just as surprised. “I- I never said that! When did I say that?”

“You claimed your boyfriend had slept there.” Percy felt his insides go gooey at hearing Sadie announce his relationship title aloud, the boy silently cursing his inner sap. 

Annabeth was shaking her head. “I said he’d slept in Tartarus.”

The two magicians exchanged a look. “You just said ‘hell’.” Carter told her.

“No I didn’t.” Annabeth pursed her lips. “This could get real confusing, real fast. I’ll just spell it out. T-a-r-t-a-r-u-s. Tar-tar-us.”

Carter stuck his pinky in his ear and then looked at it as though expecting something to have come out, gaze shifting between his finger and Annabeth. “Now that’s freaky.” 

“Hell again?” Leo guessed. 

“Y-up.” Sadie confirmed. “Hang on, I have an idea.” She closed her eyes and extended her open palm towards the three demigods. There was a beat of silence as Sadie concentrated, a slight furrow between her brows. Then she said, “ _Med-wah_.”

A hieroglyph flared briefly to life between the two groups.

“There.” Sadie brushed her hands off, smiling in satisfaction. “Problem solved. At least, temporarily.”

Annabeth looked skeptical, but was the first to test it out, speaking slowly. “Tartarus.”

“Tartarus.” Carter confirmed with a nod. Looks like whatever spell his sister just cast worked. “That’s your version of the afterlife, isn’t it?”

“Not exactly. We have an Underworld for the dead, but Tartarus is a realm for monsters only,” Percy corrected, “Any creatures that we kill go there to regain strength before inevitably coming back.” 

“Seems like an ineffective system.” Carter commented. “Though I guess it’s similar to the deeper layers of the Duat.”

“Wait, the place is basically a hell for monsters, and you’ve _slept_ there?” Sadie’s tone bordered between disbelief and admiration.

“It’s a long story.” Annabeth said grimly, a hint of guilt underlying her words. After all, _she_ had been the reason Percy was dragged down to Tartarus with her in the first place, although he’d assured her innumerable times that he’d made his own choice. “You said this spell was temporary? We should use this time wisely. Now, these Ancient Texts-”

“Pyramid Texts.” Carter corrected automatically, then winced at the interruption with a mumbled apology.

Annabeth dismissed it with a soft smile, correcting herself. “Pyramid Texts, then. What exactly do they do?”

Carter’s eyes glinted as he took a deep breath, “The Pyramid Texts are a collection of summoning scrolls. They were created by-”

“Limited time, brother, dear.” Sadie reminded, the younger girl having leaned back in her chair, inspecting her nails. “Skip the history lesson.”

The expression her brother pulled was nothing short of a pout, his excitement deflating, and Percy was a bit surprised at the childish action.

“What do they summon?” Percy asked, deciding to address the main issue.

Carter shook off the sour look, his face once again serious as he answered. “Egyptian monsters and demons. Like the ones we just fought. Setne can use them to wear us out without ever showing his face.”

“That’s bloody brilliant.” Sadie groaned, a bit of a whine entering her voice as she said, “Why is it that the bad guys _always_ get the more powerful spells?”

“I thought you said those sphinx’s weren’t Egyptian.” Annabeth pointed out.

“They weren’t _completely_ Egyptian.” Carter explained. “But Setne mentioned experimenting with different magics, right?” He looked to Sadie for confirmation, his sister nodding. “If that’s the case, then I think he’s modifying the scrolls to incorporate Greek magic.”

“Are ancient scrolls something that can be edited like that?” Leo rubbed his chin. “I doubt they have a way to just control-c control-v new words onto them.”

“It’s not easy to do.” Sadie admitted, “Only the most intelligent magicians can create new spells or change old ones. As luck would have it, Setne is one of said intelligent magicians. Being a few hundred years old himself, he’s also got a _bit_ of an advantage.”

Annabeth ran a hand down her face, looking between the two magicians. “So now we need to not _only_ worry about stopping this powerful goddess, but also a potentially much more threatening undead magician who _just_ so happens to want to kill you?”

“Sounds about right.” Carter muttered glumly.

“Why can’t things ever be easy?” Percy asked, the question directed at no one in particular.

It was Carter who answered with a raised eyebrow. “ _Easy?_ This _is_ easy, at least for us.” He gestured between him and his sister. “At least we don’t have some arbitrary deadline that we have to beat.”

“Ah, yes, well... funny you should mention that.” Sadie mumbled, just loud enough for the assembled group to hear.

Her brother tapped the table with a finger, eyes narrowed as he regarded her. “Why?”

Sadie shifted in her seat, looking distinctly uncomfortable with every set of eyes in the room watching her. “Well, I may or may not have had another vision in which I saw Bast and Horus talking about some cosmic event that goes down in about a week.”

Carter had closed his eyes and placed a hand over his face. “Please tell me it doesn’t involve Ra.”

“It involves Ra.”

Carter groaned from behind his hands, his words muffled as he muttered, “Of course it does.”

Leo looked thoroughly perplexed. “Are you sure that translation spell worked? I heard you say something like bask and raw.”

“Bast, Egyptian cat goddess, old friend of ours, formerly hosted by my cat Muffin.” Sadie explained with a dismissive wave. “Ra is the oldest Egyptian god, lord of the sun, crazy powerful- crazy in general, actually, now that I think about it. Bast was saying something about him not being ready for his final ride of the solar circle or whatnot.”

“Solar cycle?” Her brother supplied.

“Yeah, that.” Sadie nodded.

“You named a god Muffin.” Percy repeated, then grinned. These Egyptian kids were really growing on him. Annabeth elbowed his side to put him back on track.

“ _Priorities_ , Percy. Why is Ra’s solar ride a bad thing?” 

“It’s not _bad_ per say.” Carter looked at the blonde. “It’s simply an event. The last day of the solar cycle is completed when Ra makes his official tans-aerial voyage. If this event is delayed for long enough, it can cause severe solar storms and coronal mass ejections.”

“So the ride _not_ happening would be the bad thing.” 

Carter nodded. “Right. Also, I realize it probably sounds really strange to act based on a dream, but we should play it safe.” 

“You’re kidding, right?” Leo snorted and jerked his thumb at Percy. “Aquaman here has had plenty of similar dreams. All demigods do, we’re pretty used to it.”

“Allow me to amend my earlier statement.” Annabeth said, placing a hand on the table. “We now need to not only worry about stopping this goddess and your evil, highly capable, undead uncle who has powerful magic at his disposal- and a grudge against you two. But we _also_ have to do so before this cosmic event that will be going down in roughly a week. Did I get that right?”

Carter’s face was cupped in his hands from the nose down, his eyes closed. After a moment he took a deep breath, releasing it and running his hands down to rest under his chin.

“Okay…” He opened his eyes and stared at the table, as if he could visualize what he was about to say. “Okay. New plan. We know where the Book of Thoth is, and we know who has it. We _also_ know that Hathor is still intent on destroying the other Needles. So,” The magician leaned his elbows on the table, his hazel eyes slightly unfocused like before as he laid out his idea.

“First, we’ll check on the Ninth Nome in London. Ensure that they have the capabilities to protect the Needle. If they do, we can ask them to alert the Nomes in Luxor and Paris. If they don’t, we can contact the First Nome in Egypt and see if they can supply support. I’ll get in contact with Walt and have him update the situation to the other North American based Nomes, have him try and rally the ones closest to San Francisco. Next, _we_ ,” Carter gestured around the table, determination lighting his face. “Go after the book, and find a way to use it to seal Hathor, or banish her to the Duat.”

Percy found himself nodding, Carter’s plan was solid and simple- and Percy liked simple. But moreso the seasoned demigod approved of the firm stance behind the magicians words. The kids confidence was refreshing. In times past, Percy had never truly known if he was making the right call when it came to world-ending events; there was always a worm of doubt in the back of his mind. If Carter had similar reservations they weren’t showing, the epitome of conviction in the success of his own plan. 

Percy looked between the two siblings again as he was struck with a thought. How long had they been fighting monsters? They both spoke with a lot of experience for people their age. Then again, he supposed they all did, but ‘magician’ seemed more of a profession than the borderline-curse of being born demigod.

Sadie leaned back in her chair. “Sounds good to me. I have only one question, brother. Do you even know where the entrance to the Ninth Nome is?”

Carter’s determined look chipped a bit as he frowned. “... No. But I can find out.” He assured. Sadie nodded at that, her now unconcerned demeanor conveying that she trusted Carter to somehow find the information.

“As much faith as I have in my baby, I’m not sure the Argo III could get us from London to California with enough time to spare.” Leo piped up, his hands busy fiddling with some gears and wires as he spoke. “Is there a faster way to travel cross-continent?”

Carter dipped his head in acknowledgement of Leo’s point. “I-I’m not sure,” he admitted, “Possibly. I’ll look into that.” The magician was looking decidedly less confident with his plan, Percy noted.

“It’s not a perfect plan.” The Son of Poseidon looked at Carter with a reassuring grin. “But it’s a start.”

Carter smiled back.

“No plan is perfect,” Annabeth shrugged, “But we can try to flush out the details to make it more ideal. How are we going to get this Book from Setne if he’s so powerful?”

“... I don’t know.” The magician sighed.

“Didn’t you mention something about an exploding feather that we would need for the spell?” Annbeth pressed on, staring at the table as she thought. The Daughter of Athena thrived on planning every part of a strategy, be it in a friendly game of capture the flag or a quest to trap a power-hungry god. “Where do we find it?”

“I don’t know.” Carter had closed his eyes.

Percy frowned at his girlfriend. “Annabeth...” he cautioned, but the Daughter of Athena was on a roll.

“And if we’re unable to get the book? What’s our play then? Is there a better way to stop Hathor without confronting Setne?”

“I. Don’t. Know.” Carter articulated each word with a hint of irritation.

“Is there anything you _do_ know?”

Even Percy winced at the bite in his girlfriend’s question. He knew Annabeth was just getting annoyed at the lack of information and nervous about what she saw as inadequate preparation, but her scathing remark was reminiscent of how abrasive she had sometimes felt back when they’d first met, when ‘Wise Girl’ had been far less endearing of a nickname for her. He opened his mouth to defend Carter when the kid in question stood up so quickly that his chair tipped over and crashed loudly on the metal floor. 

As they all turned to the magician, Percy realized that he’d never seen Carter get mad before. Not truly angry, at least. Sure, back at Central Park and the museum the kid had been frustrated, maybe even annoyed, but never this vexed. Carter’s hands were clenched tight enough for the browned skin of his knuckles to turn a starch white, his usually warm hazel gaze now hardened stone as he glared at the Daughter of Athena. There was a tension in his voice when he spoke and a slight tremble in his shoulders that had hiked up around his ears.

“What I _know_ , is that I am the fourteen year old son of Julius and Ruby Kane, a magician of the House of Life, the former host of the god Horus, and leader of the Twenty-First Nome. What I _know_ , is that I’ve helped save the world multiple times, and now I have to do it _again_ , except this time I will be relying on the aid of three children who claim to be the offspring of Greek gods and goddesses.” As he continued, Carter’s voice slowly grew in volume. “What I _know_ , is that I have made _hundreds_ of mistakes, and will make _thousands_ more because I am still learning. I _know_ I do not have the solution to every problem. And I _know_ that I do _not_ -” Carter slammed his open hand down on the table, “have a quick fix on how to stop the pairing of a goddess and a magician of chaos, both of whom are enraptured with the concept of killing us while they take over the cosmos. So to answer you question, Annabeth: Yes. But I’m not going to _pretend_ like I have all the answers.”

The words bounced off the metal walls, the three demigods wide-eyed and leaning back in their seats. Silence reigned over the room as Carter and Annabeth partook in one of the most intense staring contests’ Percy had ever seen.

They all jumped slightly at the abrupt sound of clapping. Sadie had reclined in her chair, hands stretched out before her as she slowly brought them apart and back together, her blue eyes directed at Annabeth.

“Congratulations,” Sadie said, not sounding the least bit enthusiastic. “You have now joined the exclusive minority of people who have managed to make my brother explode. Welcome to the club!”

Despite the casual nature of the words, her tone was just as upset as her brother had shown himself to be, and she was glaring daggers at Annabeth. The Daughter of Athena looked embarrassed but unrepentant about her questions, and Leo cleared his throat, obviously wanting to get out of the way before someone else snapped. 

“So... I have a mast-turned scratching post to fix, so- I’m just gonna- bye!” He pulled a hammer from his toolbelt- earning a quick, surprised look from the Egyptians because the equipment was a good few inches bigger than the magical pouch- and disappeared out the door.

Carter sighed, a bit of color appearing in his cheeks as he bent down to right the chair that he’d knocked over. That done he ran a hand through his hair, eyes closing for a brief moment. “I need some air.” He muttered, not meeting the eyes of the demigods as he quickly followed the mechanic. He shared a short look with his sister- another one of their silent conversations- then went out the door. 

Sadie groaned unhappily, as though she still didn’t like it, saying in a barely-friendly voice. “I’m going to back to bed. Maybe I’ll get another useful dream full of foreboding.” 

Percy chuckled, the sound a bit forced in the tense atmosphere. “Let me know if you figure out the trick to having helpful dream-visions on command.” 

“Wouldn’t that be nice. Let me know if we get attacked by mythical hybrid monsters again.” Sadie’s shoulders relaxed some, and she nodded at him before leaving. 

There was another moment of silence in the room, then Percy slowly turned to look at Annabeth. 

Knowing exactly what was coming she crossed her arms and stubbornly met his gaze. “There is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with asking a few questions.” 

“There was with _how_ you asked, Wise Girl.” 

“His plan had way too many gaps! It needs work!” 

“And pointing that out is fine, but getting mad at them for what they don’t know isn’t going to help. Do you remember how many half-baked strategies we’ve had to act on?” Percy reminded.

Annabeth visibly winced. “Those were under extreme circumstances.” 

“And this isn’t?” Percy pointed out gently, “These monsters and bad guys may be _using_ the Greek monsters we’re used to, but they’re an Egyptian threat. They seem to know a lot more than what we can learn in a few minutes.”

“Maybe _you_ can’t,” she said stubbornly, but uncrossed her arms from her chest. 

“Oh I definitely can’t.” He grinned widely, and was rewarded by a fond twitch of her lips. 

“He should at least try, though.” The Daughter of Athena grumbled. “Their shut-lips are going to cost all of us in the long run. If I _knew_ more about what they need, I’d be able to contribute.” 

Percy knew his girlfriend hated feeling useless, and aside from her menacing skills with a dagger, Annabeth’s strong suit had always been focused in battle strategy and planning. “Annabeth, this- he’s not a demigod.” 

She blinked, surprised by the comment. “That- I _know_ that.” 

“Then stop treating him like one.” Percy held up his hand to stall her response, wanting to finish his words. He reflected for a moment that he had been doing that a lot in this adventure group. “He’s not from Camp Half-Blood. He doesn’t know you’re our chief strategist, and neither of them realize they can trust our skills and experience. Acting all ‘senior-camper’ on them is just going to cause animosity. We’re not their superiors, even if we are older and probably more experienced. We are their partners.” 

She didn’t respond immediately, a sign that she was seriously thinking over what he’d just said. Instead she looked down at the table, tapping her finger on the metal surface before nodding. “I hadn’t thought of it like that. It- this is the Romans all over again, isn’t it? New group, new rules, no reputation.” 

“-Yet.” Percy added optimistically, “No reputation _yet_.” 

Annabeth rolled her eyes fondly, took another moment of thought, then nodded and agreed “Not yet.” After a minute she smiled. “Since when did you get smart, Seaweed-Brain?”

“I’ve always been a secret genius, Wise Girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh Annabeth... she's just trying to be logical and figure out how to do this efficiently and effectively.
> 
> As always, drop me a comment if you enjoyed something- or if something annoyed you. I take both compliments and critiques seriously :)
> 
> Until tomorrow!  
> <3


	9. I Make A Phone Call Via Rainbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Leo fixes his ship, Carter calls Uncle Amos, and Percy is STILL being the responsible one. The world must really be ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Alright, keeping the upload schedule intact this time by posting at gods know how early in the morning. And we get more bonding moments from our boys this time, because- apparently, Annabeth is still being stubborn and doesn't want to admit she's wrong (a Daughter of Athena be wrong?! Preposterous!). Also because I enjoy the Percy-Carter friendship dynamic :) Mostly because of that.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Carter POV)**

Things were going  _ great _ (yes, Sadie, I’m being sarcastic).

Now, instead of worrying about one malicious goddess with family issues, we had to worry about stopping our malevolent Uncle Vinnie and his diabolical plot that involved tampering with Greek and Egyptian magic. Although, what his endgame was, I had no clue. As if that weren’t enough, it appeared we had about a week to do so before the arrival of some worrisome cosmic event that Bast seemed very concerned about. And here I was, having a temper tantrum over a few questions about my poorly detailed plan.

“Amazing leadership skills, Carter.” I grumbled, my cheeks burning with shame as I stared out at the open sky. “ _ Wonderful _ job so far.” 

(Again, Sadie. Sarcasm)

I stood near the bow of the ship, absentmindedly listening to Leo pound away at the mast. I had offered to help him fix the structure with a simple  _ Hi-Nehm _ spell. But the mechanic had politely refused; saying in no uncertain terms how the Argo III was his project, and therefore his responsibility to fix. Personally, I felt that he didn’t want anything magic-related tampering with his machines, but I didn’t argue. Summoning the combat avatar and using transformation magic in the battle earlier had worn me out almost as much as my recent outburst.

Running a hand through my hair, I leaned against the guardrail and stared over the waters below. The azure sea glistened in the sunlight, much more vibrant than the pale blue sky above. I watched as white wave crests broke and vanished down below, their appearance random and hypnotic and calming. What few clouds remained in the sky cast their shadowy gaze upon the ocean as they lazily meandered across the atmosphere.

Annabeth was right.

I wasn’t prideful enough to deny it. She had voiced valid concerns regarding my plan, ones that would need to be addressed sooner, rather than later. Defeating Setne and retrieving the Book would be immensely difficult. And even once we got it we would need some substitute for the Feather of Truth if we ever planned to seal Hathor. Not to mention discovering the goddess’ secret name, something you could only learn from a person themselves or those closest to them.

Then there was the issue of getting from England to the west coast of America, a problem I figured could be solved by using a London portal. The only dilemma being that we’d never created a portal big enough for something the size of the Argo III to enter. Nor did we know if it would be possible to travel in a mechanical  _ Greek _ ship through a magical  _ Egyptian _ doorway. And lastly, the issue of even  _ locating _ the entrance to the Ninth Nome capped off all of the flaws with my proposition.

I exhaled heavily, dropping my head so that my chin was touching my chest. 

“Now that’s a happy sound.”

Me head snapped up and around to see Percy leaning with his back against the rail, his lips upturned slightly. I had been so absorbed in my own thoughts that I hadn’t seen or heard him approach.

“I’m guessing you have a question too?” I tried not to sound sour, already bracing myself for the further confession of my ignorance.

“Yeah.” He took a deep breath of salty air. “How many times have  _ you  _ saved the world? I’m in the double digits myself.” 

I blinked and looked at him, surprised to see a smile on the older boy’s face. Had he said double digits? The demigod only looked a few years my senior. After a minute of staring at him dumbly, I realized he was still waiting for an answer.

“Um… three or four times, I think.”

“Never gets any less stressful.” Percy advised, glancing over at where Leo was still banging away on his ship.   
“Especially when everyone’s depending on you, right?” I mused, looking back out over the water. My hand instinctively reached up to grasp the Eye of Horus amulet Dad had given me. Percy didn’t respond, I got the sense that he was looking at me; nothing judgemental, simply waiting for me to continue. As if he knew that by staying quiet I would fill the silence.

I dropped the necklace with a sigh. “I shouldn’t have gotten angry. Annabeth’s questions were well-intended, I just…”  _ didn’t know what to say _ . I finished the thought in my head.

“You won’t always have the answers.” Percy said with a shrug, as if he’d read my mind. “I know I sure didn’t.” The demigod looked around fondly, lost in some memory. “This trip almost reminds me of my first quest. Although, it sounds like you at least have a background knowledge on the Egyptian gods and monsters and their history. Me?” Percy chuckled. “I didn’t even know what a demigod  _ was _ . I had no idea how to fight, no idea what gods represented what, no idea about any of the baddies out there waiting to kill me. Oh, and everyone thought I was gonna destroy Olympus before I was even old enough to get my driver's license.”

I recalled the term from my three hours of research. Olympus was the world of the gods in Greek mythology, home to all of the immortal beings except Hades, who presided over the Underworld.

“And destroying Olympus would be… bad?”

“Decidedly. That would have been one of those apocalypses you keep complaining about.” Percy nudged me, smiling. “There was this prophecy- Greeks are big on our prophecies, by the way. Feels weird not to have one on this trip- anyways, it was a prophecy that said I would determine the fate of Olympus on my sixteenth birthday. Quote: ‘Olympus to preserve or raze’.”

I frowned. “Don’t ‘preserve’ and ‘raise’ mean basically the same thing?”

The demigod laughed. “Wrong kind of raise. R-a-z-e. As in destroy.”

“Oh. So how old are you now?”

“Eighteen. Nineteen in a few months. Annabeth and I are the oldest demigods in camp. Olympus is still standing, just so you know. You  _ didn’t  _ miss the apocalypse.”

“Guess I should thank you for that, then.” I chuckled. It was amazing to think that even with so many world-ending events, people were still able to lead normal lives. “So this Camp you keep speaking of-”

“Camp Half-Blood.”

I blinked.

“The name of the camp.” Percy explained. “It’s called Camp Half-Blood. Training center for demigods to learn to use and control their gifts. And a great place to have intense capture-the-flag games.”

“Right.” I couldn’t imagine capture the flag as an intense game. Now, playing basketball with baboons?  _ That _ was intense. “Anyway, you said that you and Annabeth are the oldest in Camp Half-Blood, so what comes next? Is there some advanced Camp you go to once you become an adult?”

I instantly regretted asking. Percy’s smile fell faster than rain from a thunderstorm. His face clouded and his sea-green gaze became unfocused. The demigod reached up and touched the string hanging around his neck and I noticed numerous beads- clay beads, like ones you use in an arts and crafts project- hanging from the black chord.

“Not… exactly.” Percy’s eyes shifted away. “Demigods don’t exactly have a long life expectancy. When our powers begin to manifest, we give off a scent of sorts. A smell that is the equivalent of candy to Greek monsters. A lot of us never even make it to the camp. It’s not unusual for us to die before we reach adulthood.” The demigod dropped his hand and looked back at me, in control of his emotions once again. 

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. ‘Sorry’ just didn’t feel right. It seemed like death was as much a hazard of the trade for them as it was for a magician to expend too much energy. Apologizing would be the equivalent of thanking a chef for cooking. So instead…

“Congratulations.”

Percy’s brow furrowed in bewilderment. “What?”

“You said you’re eighteen, right? So congratulations on becoming an adult.” I elaborated. “Seems like it’s a big milestone for you guys. Though, I don’t envy the bit about you now having to pay taxes and bills and all that.”

The demigod blinked at me a few times. Then he laughed. “Guess so. Never thought of it like that.” Percy nodded to himself, a soft smile on his face. “So what about you then? You said you were still learning. Is there some sort of magic school for kids? Seems like being a magician is more of a profession than something you’re born into.”

“Sadie and I are more self-taught.” I indulged. “Most initiates do their basic training in the First Nome- Egypt- until they master their craft. After that they get distributed to the various Nomes where they continue with their area of study and help maintain  _ Ma’at _ . Order. With enough study and practice, anyone can become a mage, but w-” I cut myself off, “But it’s easier for some.”

If Percy noticed my hesitation he was very good at hiding it. The demigod was nodding, a thoughtful expression on his face. “So why were you and Sadie self-taught?”

_Because we_ _practice the practically taboo Path of the Gods. Because we’re descended from two long, powerful bloodlines of Egyptian Pharaohs. Because the other Nomes blame us for nearly causing the end of the world._

“It was Dad’s idea,” technically not a lie. “He and Uncle Amos… Gods I am so  _ stupid _ !” I can’t believe I hadn't thought of it sooner.

In addition to being our blood relative, Amos was the Chief Lector, head of the House of Life. Leader of the First Nome, and the most powerful magician in the world. If anyone could help us it would be him. 

Ignoring Percy’s look of confusion, I closed my eyes and concentrated. I reached into the Duat, gasping the item and pulling out a cell phone from the dimensional locker. I berated myself for not trying this earlier, flipping it open (because- brace yourselves- flip phones still exist) and hitting the speed dial button for Uncle Amos.

Upon seeing the device, Percy’s eyes widened. “Carter-”

I held up a hand, cutting the demigod off. Lifting the phone to my ear, all I heard was the disheartening drone of an unresponsive line. Before I could do anything else, the device was ripped out of my hand.

“Hey-” I looked over as Percy snapped it shut. “What was that for?”

“Did you get any reception?” Percy asked me, a tense undercurrent of panic in his words.

“What are you talking about? Percy-”

“Did the call go through? Carter, this is important-”

“No!” I had no idea what had gotten into the demigod. “The call didn’t go through. We’re in the middle of the ocean, it’s not like there’s a cell tower nearby. Can I have that back now?”

Percy relaxed, glancing at the phone before handing it back. “Yeah, sorry.”

“Sorry?” I tucked the device in my back pocket with a frown. “What was that all about?”

“Cell phones,” Percy shoved his hands into his pockets, “are like a homing beacon for Greek monsters. We don’t use them unless there’s an emergency. Life or death kind of emergency. I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything, I just wanted to avoid attracting unwanted attention.”

“...Oh.” Because really, what else was there to say.

“Yeah. Who were you trying to call, anyways? I mean you said it yourself, the middle of the Atlantic isn’t the best place for cell reception.”

I shrugged, “Had to try. I wanted to get in touch with Uncle Amos- blood relative uncle, this time. He may be able to help patch up the holes in our plan. At the very least he would know where to locate the entrance to the Ninth Nome.” I spread my hands on the guard rail, drumming the tips of my fingers across the metal as I thought. If phone calls were out of the question, then…

“I think I have an idea.” Percy had a devious glint in his eyes. “Wait here a sec.” I watched him jog over to where Leo was welding a piece of metal to the mast. As they talked, the mechanic pushed his goggles onto his head and nodded a few times. Percy then looked back and waved me over.

By the time I had joined them at the control console, Leo had already messed with the necessary levers and buttons to allow a metal panel to lower into the floor. I watched, mouth agape as miniature cannon-like device rose from the hole, seamlessly melding with the quarterdeck. The nozzle of the weapon pointed off the rear end of the ship, as if to strike at an enemy approaching from behind.

“What are you-”

“Making a call.” Percy explained.

I frowned. “But I thought you said-”

“I never said I was using a phone.” Percy smiled, a knowing light in his eyes.

“But-” I sighed, realizing that even if I did point out how impossible it would be to make a phone call with no phone, the demigods would probably just ignore me.

Leo shot me a sympathetic grin, “You’ll see.” He winked, pressing one last lever.

The cannon’s gears clicked, the machine springing to life with a soft hum. Curiously, my eyes were drawn to the weapon, waiting to see what kind of ammunition could possibly constitute as a phone call. Wait- they weren’t seriously going to try sending a message with a hunk of iron- were they? I couldn’t imagine such an extreme version of carrier pigeon sitting well with whomever received the letter. For that matter, was there some way to program where the shot went? Or did they just shoot it and hope the message landed in the vicinity of the receiver?

I watched the cannon as it fired… water?

The liquid particles were dispersed over a wide area, like the mist setting on a garden hose, except three times as big. I frowned,  _ maybe the weapon had malfunctioned? _ Glancing back at the elated look on the mechanics face I discarded the previous idea. Percy chuckled at my bemused expression, moving to stand next to me. The mist reflected the sunlight, creating a magnificent rainbow. It was pretty, but I still failed to see its relevance.

“Not what you were expecting, was it?” He wondered, fishing around in his pocket.

“A bit underwhelming, to be honest.” I admitted. Then I shook my head. “I don’t understand. How is this the equivalent of making a phone call?”

Percy pulled a golden coin from his pocket- another Drachma, I realized.

“This is how.” He then proceeded to toss the coin towards the mist. For a split second, I found it ridiculous that he would just waste money like that. Then I watched as the coin came in contact with the rainbow and vanished. Gone, just like that. As if it had never existed at all.

Percy began chanting. “Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.”

I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, I glanced over at the demigod. “Did it.. work?”

“Why don’t you find out?” Percy offered, gesturing towards the mist. “Just say the name of who you wanted to call.”

“Oo-kay.” I took a step closer to the back rail, feeling absurd for talking to a rainbow. “Show me Uncle Amos.” Nothing happened for a good ten seconds. “...Please?” Maybe the rainbow wanted me to be polite. I looked back at the demigods, slightly worried. “Did I break it?”

Percy just smiled and tilted his chin towards something behind me. Turning around, I couldn’t help but gasp at the image of a man that now swam before me. He looked like an African American version of Al Pacino. He wore a black and navy blue pinstriped suit, gem-studded dreadlocks covered by a coal colored fedora. His cocoa brown eyes were wide with shock as he looked at me, mouth slightly open. I could even smell his incense-like cologne.

I blinked, “Amos?” I couldn’t contain the smile that broke over my face. “Uncle Amos!”

“Carter? H-How-” I watched my Uncle reach out a hand, confusion masking his face. His hand vanished from view and he pulled it back, glancing from his palm to me with a frown. “This magic… Carter, what’s going on? Who are they?””His eyes shifted to the two demigods behind me.

I told him the short version, using as many details as I could squeeze into three minutes of exposition. I wasn’t sure how long this rainbow hologram would last, and I had a lot of questions. Finally, I explained our plan and the flaws associated with it, “... and so basically,” I said, wrapping it up. “We could really use your advice.”

Amos nodded, calm and composed, as if he dealt with obscure Greek-slash-Egyptian combinations and haywire gods every other day.

“I’ve nearly got the situation in Dendara wrapped up, I’ll get in contact with the other Nomes once we’re finished and see who needs reinforcements. In the meantime,” He looked at me. “Let’s iron out the kinks in your plan. The entrance to the Ninth Nome is located-” a brief burst of static buzzed over his words, “-the eighty-eighth floor of the Shard Tower. Although, I would expect their  _ sem-priest _ Latoya Barnes to be awaiting your arrival. She is a-” more static cut over his words. “- and a  _ sau _ .”

“ _ Sau _ ? A charm maker?”  _ Like Walt _ .

Amos nodded. “I’m afraid I cannot help you-” static, “-to travel. I do not know the outcome of merging Greek magic with an Egyptian portal.”

“Mechanics.” I heard Leo grumble. “Greek  _ mechanics _ .”

“And what about Hathor and Setne?” I pressed, noticing the increasingly frequent white noise. I didn’t realize it was possible for a rainbow to have a poor connection. “Any ideas?”

“You may be able to retrieve Hathors secret name from her son, Ihy. He can be summoned with the Book of the Dead, which Latoya has a copy of in the Ninth Nome’s library. As for Setne, you-” this time the static overcut most of Amos’ sentence, lasting long enough for me to worry that it wouldn’t go away this time. But it eventually did, as Amos said, “-if he’s messing with different magics he may try to raise-” I grit my teeth in frustration as more white noise drowned out the next few words, “- library. In which case you must be  _ extremely _ careful of his staff.” I opened my mouth to ask what he was talking about when the image faded.

I whirled around to face Percy. “Do you have another coin?”

The demigod nodded wordlessly, his smile overtaken by a thoughtful look as he too, tried to make sense of my Uncle’s information. He tossed the Drachma towards the rainbow and I waited for it to vanish as the other had.

It didn’t.

Our three pairs of eyes trailed the gleaming coin on it’s descent to the ocean below, the glinting metal quickly disappearing from sight.

“Oh come  _ on _ .” I groaned. “That is  _ so _ not fair.” Leo pressed a button and the spray gun turned off, retreating into the floor. “Why does merging magic work for some things but not for others?”

“Why does your Uncle want us to beware of a library?” Percy mused.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and rubbing the back of my head. “At least we know where to find the Ninth Nome. And we know how to get Hathors secret name.”

“You think this Ihy guy is just gonna tell us?” Leo looked doubtful.

I huffed. “Not in the slightest. I think he’s going to try to kill us first, or demand something completely insane in exchange; but it’s better than anything we’ve got so far.”

“He also said something about a staff.” Percy pointed out.

“A staff is the primary offensive weapon for magicians. It can be used to control the five elements, summon spirits, or simply whack bad guys on the head.” I explained with a shrug. “I’m not exactly sure why he felt it necessary to warn us about a staff. We know of its capabilities.”

“Five elements?” Leo frowned, “I thought there were only four? Y’know, ‘the four nations living in peace until one day the fire nation attacked’ and all?”

“That’s a TV show, Leo.” I snorted. “The five elements are air, water, earth, fire, and cheese.”

Leo blinked. “... cheese?”

“Cheese.” I confirmed with a grave nod. “You do  _ not _ want to mess with a cheese demon. They’re nasty little buggers.”

The mechanic chuckled and shrugged, “If you say so. I’m gonna go back to repairing my ship if it’s all the same to you.”

“Go ahead.” Percy waved absentmindedly. “Thanks for the help.”

“Anything for a friend.” Leo winked, disappearing down the steps to go continue repairing the Argo III. Percy remained on the quarterdeck, undoubtedly contemplating Amos’ cryptic message. I found my own thoughts drifting in the same direction.

Thanks to the unreliable network of our rainbow video chat, my talk with Amos had only raised new questions. Not for the first time, I wished Dad were here. He would know what to do. Instead, I had to work with three clueless demigods and Sadie- who, honestly, wasn’t much better ( _ Ow _ ! Sadie, stop hitting me!). It was nearly overwhelming, I felt the same pressure on my chest as when I had to command our forces against Apophis, only this time, I felt much more inadequately prepared.

A physical weight joined the metaphorical ones on my shoulder. Glancing from the hand that now rested there to it’s owner, I noticed that Percy was smiling that reassuring grin he’d flashed at me earlier in the mess hall.

“It’ll all work out.” He said simply. 

Perhaps it was knowing that he’d faced the same stress that I had so many times before. Maybe it was because of how equally mortal I now knew we were, even if he was half god. Or it could simply be that someone had taken one look at the problems that seemed like mountains to me, extended a hand, and helped open the path to the next step. 

Whatever the reason, for that moment, I believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Look at our boys being all sappy. Aren't they adorable? Yes. Yes they are.  
> I wish everyone the best of Monday's (if that's even possible) and just remember we're all working for the weekend!
> 
> Until next time!  
> <3


	10. Peter Pan Never Had This Problem!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Annabeth admits she was wrong (kinda), Leo takes a nap, and the Kanes check on the London Needle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> And we're here! We've arrived in London and we are here to stay- for at least a few chapters, that is. A forewarning to all my readers who may be in that section of the world- I have NEVER been to London. Or England. All of my location descriptions are from google earth which we ALL know is SUPER reliable...
> 
> To quote Carter: Yes, that was sarcasm.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!  
> <3

**(Annabeth POV)**

Annabeth’s tour of London began when she almost became a stain on the west face of Big Ben.

Until then, her day had been going pretty well. For most of the afternoon, the Daughter of Athena had been glued to Daedalus’ laptop, researching everything related to the Egyptian mythology. Gods, monsters, famous pharaohs, different types of magic and rituals.  _ If they won’t tell us themselves _ , she reasoned,  _ I’ll find out on my own _ . And so she had.

According to her studies, the Book of Thoth held all of the knowledge in the universe. Which was, quite honestly, ridiculous. No single tome was big enough to hold every piece of information.  _ Unless it’s magic _ , a traitorous thought whispered. Annabeth brushed it off; despite what those Egyptian kids seemed to think, magic was  _ not _ the answer to everything. Wits and strategy had seen the demigod victorious through countless battles.

As for the Feather of Truth, it was an item used in the Land of the Dead’s ‘Hall of Judgement’, which Annabeth figured was equivalent to the Greek version of the Underworld’s ‘Judgement Pavilion’. Said to weigh exactly as much as a human soul (Again, illogical. A soul had no weight), the feather could detect lies and would determine who proceeded to the Egyptian afterlife. If the feather determined one to be ‘unworthy’ (How could an inanimate object determine anything?) then a monster called Ammit the Devourer would eat the soul.

Annabeth was just contemplating how it would be possible to eat a soul, beginning to look for a more precise description on the site she was on, when there was a knock at her door. Looking up from the screen, the blond moved across the room, surprised to see the younger version of herself waiting outside.

Sadie glanced up, her jaw moving in a way that suggested she was chewing gum. “Percy called a meeting up on deck.” The magician said, not waiting for a response before turning and making her way to the stairwell.

Annabeth frowned, hastily putting Daedalus's laptop away before she hurried to catch up to the kid. “Did he say why?”

“Nope.”

The girls emerged onto the deck of the Argo III, both squinting in the light of the sinking sun. Percy and Carter were huddled by the starboard rail, deep in conversation while Leo stood behind the control panel on the quarterdeck. Annabeth glanced around, noticing the lack of ocean over either side of the ship. Instead, they were surrounded by a concrete jungle nearly three times the size of New York, and twice as clean. In the distance, a large clock tower stood erect, overlooking a river that snaked from east to west. To the right of the Big Ben was a monumental ferris wheel.  _ The London Eye _ , Annabeth recalled, casting her gaze across the city that was bathed in the sunset glow. Lights were beginning to pop up as night approached, small flames among the larger expanse of metal candles that punctured the skyline.

Impressive metal spires rose into the air, reaching out like tall fingers hoping to touch Olympus. Each one snared the architecture-loving girls attention for extended moments before her storm grey eyes would snap over to study another, similarly impressive, building. Annabeth felt her mind buzz with excitement, a natural high she obtained when contemplating the designs of intricate structures and their aesthetic and practical appeal.

“This is… London?” Annabeth blinked a few times, taking in the sights.

“Technically we’re over Kensington.” Sadie said casually, her British accent slightly more pronounced. “But, essentially, yes. Welcome to England.”

Percy glanced up, seeing the girls and smiling at Annabeth before waving them over. As they approached, Annabeth met Carter’s gaze. His eyes darted to the floor and back up as he took a breath.

“I’m sorry,” Carter began, “for storming out of the room earlier. I guess it’s kind of hard to be productive when not everyone’s there to pitch in. I mean-” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not that I’m unwilling to work with you or your questions-”

Annabeth held up a hand, effectively stemming the flow of his words. Percy’s remark rose to the forefront:  _ We’re not their superiors. We’re their partners _ . “I forgive you.” She smiled slightly. “We  _ do _ still need to flush out your plan, though.”

Carter nodded.

“Well-” Percy clapped his hands together, rubbing them in excitement. “Actually, that’s why we called you guys. Carter here,” the demigod slung an arm over the magicians shoulder, “Managed to get in contact with some guy named after a cookie-”

Sadie snorted. “ _ What _ ?”

“You know,” Percy grinned. “Famous Amos? The cookie brand?”

Carter rolled his eyes, shrugging off Percy’s arm. “We talked to my  _ Uncle _ Amos to see if he could clear up some of the issues with our plan.”

“Another Uncle?” Leo asked, suppressing a yawn as he leaned on the railing to look down at the rest of them. He was the only person who hadn’t rested since the sphynx attack, instead working hard to repair the damaged metal of his ship.

“This one’s not evil. And  _ is _ related by blood.” Sadie crossed her arms, “So? What’d he say?”

“He warned us to be careful about a library-” Percy began, before going on to explain what this Amos person had revealed. Leo visibly tuned them out as the conversation went on, stepping away from the railing to instead lean on the steering console and watch the picturesque London skyline grow near. Carter described how the connection was garbled at times, presenting his own theory that it had something to do with the clash of Greek and Egyptian magics. 

“That’s mildly annoying.” Sadie frowned as her brother finished explaining how the Iris message had cut out key parts of their talk.

Annabeth tapped her chin, “I wonder why some combinations of Greek and Egyptian magic seem to work better than others.” Carter gave her a curious look but Annabeth’s gaze had snared on something behind him. “Uh, guys? Are we supposed to be this close to the clocktower?” The other three turned to stare at the rapidly growing figure of Big Ben that the Argo III was nearing.

Their fear only grew as the ship seemed to steer itself  _ towards _ the iconic monument.

“Leo, change course.” Annabeth directed, trying to keep her voice calm despite the threat of impact. When nothing happened, a note of panic entered her tone. “Turn it around, Leo. _ Leo _ -” The daughter of Athena whirled around, wondering what in Hades the mechanic was doing- only to see that their helmsman had propped his elbow on the console, head in hand, eyes closed.

Cursing in Ancient Greek, Annabeth took a deep breath and yelled in a voice that had carried over the battlefield of many a game of capture the flag. “ _ LEO WAKE UP! _ ”

Her booming words easily carried to the quarterdeck above where the son of Hephaestus jerked up and off the console. The ship stopped in its turn, but the damage had been done, their collision imminent. Leo’s bleary eyes grew to the size of saucers upon spotting the obstruction, yelping, “Holy Hephaestus!” as his hands darted over the knobs and buttons.

Like a car slamming on it’s breaks, the Argo III screeched, slowing drastically enough to send the others stumbling along the lower deck. The ship angled away from Big Ben, Leo twirling the Wii remote as fast as he could.

Standing at the rail, Annabeth could see the side of the ship just barely scrape the corner of the clocktower, grimacing at the grating sound of metal on metal. They were low enough for the demigod to notice the crowds of tourists below pointing up at the ship, some taking pictures with their cameras. The pot opal glass of the clock face was near enough that if Annabeth reached out she might have been able to actually touch it’s polished surface.

With a few more flipped switches, Leo successfully steered the Argo III away from Big Ben and towards the Thames river that twisted below. Annabeth reached over to help Percy up, seeing Carter do the same for Sadie.

“That was  _ way _ too close.” Percy grimaced, rubbing where his shoulder had hit the metal floor.

Sadie was nodding, her brows drawn together. “Peter Pan  _ never  _ had this problem!”

“Sorry!” Leo finished adjusting the controls, making his way down to the lower deck. “Sorry, you guys okay?”

“Aside from the fact that we almost recreated the Titanic in midair, you mean?” Sadie growled.

Leo shrugged with an apologetic grin, ruffling his hair. “Guess I really should think about getting some parachutes, huh?”

Even his joking tone was laced with exhaustion. Annabeth gave the mechanic a once over, instantly seeing the red eyes and deep bags that came with inadequate sleep. Now that the rush of adrenaline was fading from his system, Leo’s shoulders slumped, his eyelids drooping despite his efforts to keep them open. Most importantly, his hands were still. Leo’s hands were  _ never  _ still.

“Leo,” Annabeth said gently. “When was the last time you slept for more than five hours?”

The mechanic blinked tired eyes. “Um…” He scrunched up his face in thought. “Last Thursday?”

“You’ve been awake for  _ four days?”  _ Sadie practically screeched. 

“I guess. That makes today- um, Friday, Saturday…” Leo started counting on his fingers, frowning as he tried to remember what came after Saturday. 

“Sunday?” Carter supplied slowly, looking at his doppleganger with concern. “Leo, it’s Monday evening.”

“Really?” Leo blinked at him, glancing at his Arc Gauntlet for a moment, “Huh, so it is. I guess time really  _ does _ fly when you’re fixing the secondary auxiliary hydraulic pump.”

Percy exchanged a look with Annabeth. “Dude, you need to sleep.”

Leo waved off the comment. “What I  _ need _ is to know where to land.” This time he couldn’t hold back the gargantuan yawn that escaped his lips, wiping the back of his hand across his eyes. “Unless you just wanna hover over the city?”

“As soon as we land, you need to get some rest.” Annabeth said, using her no-nonsense voice.

Leo rolled his eyes. “I’m  _ fine _ , Annabeth-”

“We almost crashed into Big Ben.” Carter pointed out. “I know they’re already planning repairs to touch-up the clock faces, but probably not to that extent.”

Leo opened his mouth but Percy cut him off. “Leo, you’re the only one who can fly the Argo III. We need you to be ready to take off at a moment's notice in case something goes wrong, and you can’t be ready if you don’t get some rest.”

Annabeth could almost literally see the gears turning in the repair boy’s mind as he contemplated Percy’s words. “We need to know that we can count on you.” The daughter of Athena added.

That decided it. If there was one thing Leo hated more than a faulty machine, Annabeth knew, it was the idea of being a burden to his allies. She felt a stab of guilt for having to exploit her friends’ weakness, but the blonde justified the low blow by reminding herself it was for Leo’s own well being. She watched as the mechanic winced slightly, ducking his head. He ran a hand through his shock of brown hair, puffing his cheeks and blowing out slowly.

“Fine.” He said in a manner reminiscent of a child complying with a request to finish his vegetables else he forfeit dessert. “But only if you promise to wake me up as  _ soon _ as you get back.”

“Sure thing, Leo” Percy smiled, waiting for the mechanic to turn around before glancing at Annabeth. The daughter of Athena saw in his eyes that her boyfriend had no intention of waking up their exhausted companion if he was still asleep when they returned. Nodding in silent agreement, Annabeth smiled; for a minute, she wondered when they’d become so good at reading each other's unspoken intentions. With a mere look or a tilt of the head, Annabeth could tell exactly what Percy was thinking and vice versa. Maybe it was because they’d been through so much together, or maybe it was because they were dating. Either way, Annabeth saw it as a positive development in their relationship.

“So,” Leo asked, now back in front of the control panel. “Where should I put her down?”

“Next to Millennium Bridge.” Sadie replied. “It’s about halfway between the Shard tower and the Needle.”

“O-kay.” Leo looked over the bow, pursing his lips as his eyes jumped between the dozens of bridges spanning the river. “Um… which bridge is it? There are a  _ lot _ of bridges, if you haven’t noticed _. _ ” He said defensively at the incredulous look Sadie shot him. 

The magician pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “You have repeating crossbows, a goat alarm system, and, according to Carter, a giant spray gun on this flying contraption- yet you don’t have a GPS?”

Leo bristled slightly. “It’s got an autopilot but it’s based on the coordinate system of longitude and latitude-”

Annabeth cleared her throat. “On a time schedule here, guys.”

“It’s that one there.” Sadie said, pointing to what looked like a shallow suspension footbridge supported by two vertical pylons that descended into the river below. Annabeth was intrigued by the design, her mind running through the construction process necessary to ensure that the low suspension cables could support a heavy pedestrian load.

“Why do I feel like I’ve seen that bridge before?” Percy wondered, brow furrowed in thought.

Carter shrugged as Leo maneuvered the ship towards the structure. “It was destroyed in one of the Harry Potter movies, I think.”

“It’s destroyed in a lot of movies.” Sadie corrected. “Because  _ most _ people know what is is”

Within fifteen minutes, the Argo III splashed down along the east side of Millennium Bridge, docking at one of the ports that lined the north bank of the river. Annabeth saw the pedestrians on the bridge snapping photos with their phones as Leo shut down the engines.

“Heh, look at that, we’re famous.” The mechanic joked. “Smile and wave boys, just smile and wave.”

“Bed.” Annabeth ordered, pointing to the stairway. “Now.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Leo grumbled. He reached into a pouch on his toolbelt and produced a small sheet of paper, holding it out to Annabeth. “Here.”

“What’s this?” The daughter of Athena asked, taking the item and scanning the words scrabbled on the lines.

“A love letter.” Leo grinned impishly, earning himself a glare from Percy.

“Anti-seize: Bronze Compound, Pro-seal, Locktite Liquid Wrench, Polka Dot Duct Tape-” Annabeth read, looking up. “Is this… a shopping list?”

Leo made a game show dinging noise. “And we have a winner! Fifty points to the daughter of Athena! Even my amazing tool belt needs the occasional restock.” He said more seriously.

“Leo, I don’t have the faintest clue where to find this stuff.”

The mechanic shrugged. “I’d go myself but  _ someone _ made me promise to go to bed as soon as we landed. You should be able to find most of that stuff at any auto repair shop.”

“But,” Percy frowned at his friend. “We’ve never been to London before. It might take a while to find somewhere-”

Sadie coughed loudly to get their attention. “Hi! I’m Sadie Kane, London born and raised. Or could you not tell by the accent?” She smiled with fake cheer. “Now that that’s been established- sure! I’d be  _ more _ than willing to help you find the perfect store for all of your flying boat needs-  _ after _ we check on the Needle.”

“Well… okay then. Problem solved.” Annabeth blinked. Then she looked back at Leo who was mid-yawn. “Bed. Now. Go.”

“I’m going, I’m going.” The mechanic assured, sending them a small wave as he descended the stairs. “Good luck!”

It took the four teenagers about ten minutes to get to the London Needle once Sadie hailed a taxi. On the ride over, Annabeth studied Leo’s list with a frown. Despite his reassurance that most of the things on the page were easy to obtain, the Daughter of Athena was already factoring in the extra time it would take to run around central London looking for the supplies. In an effort to shorten their visit, Annabeth decided that splitting up would be the best course of action, and she made mention of her idea to the others.

“It’s not like we need four people to go check on the Ninth Nome.” She reasoned. “Two of us can go gather Leo’s supplies while the others talk to this Latoya Barnes person and get the book.”

“You think splitting up is a good idea?” Carter asked.

“If it’ll save us some time,” Percy nodded. “I say we do it. We don’t really need four people to deliver a message, anyway.”

Carter shared a look with Sadie. “Okay.” He sighed, still looking unconvinced. “So what are the groups? Obviously Sadie’s going with whomever is fetching supplies.”

“And it’s probably best if you go and talk to the Ninth Nome people, since you’re a fellow magician.” Percy agreed. “I’ll come with.”

“Looks like it’s girls night out, then.” Annabeth said, looking to Sadie who just shrugged.

“Fine with me.”

They pulled up to the Victoria Embankment, Sadie handing the driver a twenty-pound note as they exited the cab and joined the tourist-filled foot traffic. Looking across the street, Annabeth couldn’t help but admire the backdrop framing the London Needle. The obelisk was flanked on either side by two Egyptian sphinxes- identifiable by the weird headdress and lack of wings- cast in bronze. The statues appeared to be looking  _ at _ the monument as opposed to protecting it, with their faces turned inwards instead of outwards.

The pedestal supporting the Needle itself was adorned by a polished metal clamp that captured some basic Egyptian imagery: with scarabs and snakes and bird wings molded from the black iron. A plaque had been fastened to the base of the structure, reading:

THROUGH THE PATRIOTIC ZEAL OF ERASMUS WILSON F.R.S. THIS OBELISK WAS BROUGHT FROM ALEXANDRIA ENCASED IN AN IRON CYLINDER. IT WAS ABANDONED DURING A STORM IN THE BAY OF BISCAY. RECOVERED AND ERECTED ON THIS SPOT BY JOHN DIXON C.E. IN THE 42ND YEAR OF THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA

1878

While Annabeth studied the plaque, Percy had wandered over to one of the guardian statues, inspecting the human face before noticing something. “What does that say?” Percy asked aloud, pointing at the neck of the bronze sphinx.

Annabeth looked over to see a set of hieroglyphic inscriptions encircled by an oval. Sadie glanced at the picture words, her blue eyes skimming the engraving. “ _ Netjer nefer men-kheper-re di ankh _ .” She read, as easily as if Annabeth had been told to recite the alphabet.

“Did you just... read Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs?” The Daughter of Athena inquired..

Sadie raised an eyebrow. “Percy’s the one who wanted to know what it says. It’s not like you haven’t heard us speak it before.” The magician elaborated. “The spells? Ancient Egyptian.”

“Yes, but those were  _ spells _ ,” Percy iterated, as if it made all the difference. “You have to practice them.”

“I think it’s similar to how you demigods can inherently understand Ancient Greek.” Carter explained, coming to stand next to his sister. “Since we’re… magicians, we can read hieroglyphs pretty fluently with practice.” Annabeth’s eyes narrowed slightly. Even with practice, Sadie had barely looked at the inscription before rattling off it’s translation.

“So what does it say in English?” Percy wondered.

Carter spared the engraving a long look. “The good god, Thutmosis III… given life. Or something.” He shrugged. “I’m not as fluent as Sadie. But we came here for a reason.” Carter reminded, tilting his head towards the Needle.

As the small group made their way to the base of the obelisk, Annabeth noticed a melancholy air descend over the siblings. Carter’s eyes had lost some of their focus as he looked up at the stone structure, while Sadie had crossed her arms tightly over her chest. The latter took a long inhale, letting it out in an extended sigh. Annabeth glanced at Percy, her boyfriend having picked up on the mood shift as well, frowning at the two magicians with concern.

“Back where it all started, huh?” Sadie muttered.

The ghost of a smile crossed Carter’s lips. “Technically, it all started when Dad blew up the Rosetta Stone.”

Sadie snorted. “Good times.”

“Your Dad did  _ what? _ ” Annabeth’s eyebrows shot up so fast that they threatened to achieve escape velocity.

“Don’t worry, we put it back together.” Carter assured, his eyes never leaving the Needle.

“The Rosetta Stone is a  _ priceless _ decryption tool of not one but  _ three _ dead languages. It is not a puzzle to test dynamite on!” Annabeth’s outrage went unnoticed by the magicians who remained transfixed by the monument.

Sadie stepped up to the obelisk, placing the palm of her hand against the stone surface of its base. She closed her eyes, bowing her head as her purple-tinged locks billowed softly, as if a warm breeze had blown through her hair. To a casual observer, it probably looked like the girl was praying. After a moment, Sadie looked up, stepping away from the Needle.

“Well, the magic’s still intact.” The magician declared. “Hathor hasn’t been here yet.”

“That’s good.” Carter muttered absently.

Sadie nodded, hugging her arms again. The two magicians stood there, in that trance-like state, just staring at the Needle for a solid minute. Lost in their own world. Annabeth glanced at Percy; her boyfriend shrugging to say he was as clueless as she felt.

The Daughter of Athena cleared her throat to garner their attention. “So, are we done here?”

Both magicians simultaneously jerked around at her words. Carter blinking in surprise, as if he’d forgotten the demigods were there, and Sadie- Annabeth did a double take as she saw that the girl's eyes were glossed over with the telltale moisture of barely withheld tears.

Sadie recovered first, whipping her head away from the demigods shocked stares.

“Right.” She said, her voice shaking slightly. The magician wiped the back of her hand across her face, still turned away. When she spoke again her tone was once more under control. “Places to go, people to see. Better get to it.”

“Sadie.” Carter placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.

“I’m fine, Carter.”

Carter’s gaze was sympathetic. “I know. I miss her too.”

“I said I’m  _ fine _ , Carter.” Sadie growled with a hint of her usual annoyance as she shrugged his hand away. “I’ll go get us a cab.”

Her brother made no move to stop her as she stalked away, raising her hand to wave down a passing taxi. Instead the boy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Percy looked at Carter, worry evident on his face. Annabeth felt resigned fondness for that part of her boyfriend- his instant protectiveness of his allies, even when said allies were still being secretive and stubborn to a fault.

“What was that about?” Percy asked, obviously concerned. 

The magician shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“We will worry about it.” Annabeth stated with an undertone of irritation. “Sadie’s clearly shaken for some reason. She may be your sister but she’s also our ally, so for once I would like a straight answer.”

“Annabeth.” Percy cautioned.

“No, it-” Carter looked between the demigods. “It’s okay. You have a point, we’re your comrades, you have a right to know.” The magician took a deep breath, looking back at the Needle, his chocolate eyes glazed with sorrow. “This is... this is where our mom died.”

Awkward.

“I…” Annabeth had the grace to look ashamed. “Sorry... I had no idea.”

Carter shrugged with a small smile. “Not your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Percy ventured, “how did she…”

“She died because of her magic.” Carter’s gaze dropped to the floor as he spoke. “She used to much. Mom was a diviner- a magician who could predict the future. She saw a day in which chaos would take over, the snake, Apophis, would rise and destroy everything. She and Dad tried to change that, only…” The magician glanced back at the obelisk. “Something went wrong. Mom sacrificed herself, saving the world and protecting our Dad in the process.” Carter chuckled lightly. “I guess blowing things up isn’t the only thing that runs in the family.”

“And your Dad-”

“Dead.” Carter interrupted, the one word laced with heartache.

Annabeth knew first hand how hard it could be to grow up without the guidance of a parent. She had run away from home at the age of seven, fending off monsters for months with only a small hammer and her wits. Then she’d been found by Luke and Thalia, and together they’d traveled to Camp Half-Blood where she’d met her godly family; half-brothers and sisters who were also children of Athena. Annabeth held no qualms about her decision to run. What few memories of her dad and stepmom she had weren’t ones she treasured or valued at the time. Then the prophecy about the fall of Olympus had come to pass and Annabeth had rekindled her connection with her mortal family: nothing like the end of the world to bring people together.

From their reactions, Annabeth realized that the magicians’ situation was slightly different from her own. It seemed as though Carter and Sadie had fond memories of their parents, evidenced by the backlash they’d shown from visiting their mother's place of death. And yet… while they were mournful, the magicians hadn’t been despondent. They hadn’t broken. Both parents dead and they were still cracking jokes, fighting monsters, and trying to save the world. The Daughter of Athena made a mental note to amend her initial impressions of the siblings.

A sharp whistle pierced the air, Annabeth, Percy and Carter looking up at its origin. Sadie waved them over, having completed her self-appointed task of getting them rides. “Let’s go, slowpokes.” She called. “It’s not like the world is gonna save itself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> As always, I look forwards to your thoughts on the story, the chapter, or anything else you think is worth mentioning :)
> 
> Have a great Wednesday!  
> <3


	11. A Scuffle at the Shard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy realizes he dresses like a teenager, Carter tries his hand at diplomacy, and the mages of the Ninth Nome are not impressed... okay, well, maybe a LITTLE impressed...
> 
> Or: Percy and Carter arrive in the London Nome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Friday!  
> (Oh... it's Saturday? Uh... Happy belated Friday!)
> 
> Sorry about the late update- was playing video games with the siblings and realized that 'one more' translated to 'past midnight'.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Percy POV)**

Aptly named, the Shard Tower stretched high into the air, every outwards facing surface covered by glass panels that reflected the deep orange hues of the setting sun. The skyscraper was so alpine that Percy’s neck cramped from the angle it required to see the top.  _ Not as tall as the Empire State Building _ , the demigod mused,  _ but not much smaller _ . Halfway up the structure, Percy could barely make out the shape of a boom lift and it’s workers as they diligently polished the glass. He noted their action with a rueful grin, realizing that there were probably multiple crews on call to continuously clean the building.  _ At least they have good job security _ . He thought, imagining the effort required to keep every pane of glass impeccably polished.

“Let's go.” Carter prompted, hitching the leather satchel higher on his shoulder.

It was the first thing either of them had said since splitting ways with their female counterparts at the park. The ten minute taxi ride that preceded their arrival had been eerily quiet, Carter seemed to be submersed in thought as he stared at the back of the driver's seat, while Percy had been trying to come to grips with the fact that the Kane siblings had lost both of their parents.

Although the demigod hadn’t been given the full story, he could scarcely imagine going through life without his mom. Sally Jackson was- in Percy’s mind- the  _ best _ person in the world. Kind, hardworking, and never complaining; even when the queen of the gods decided to make Percy disappear for the better part of a month. Now  _ that _ had been an awkward phone call:  _ Hey Mom, I’m alive. Hera put me to sleep for a while, and then she took my memory, and…Anyway, I’m okay. I’m sorry. I’m on a quest—I’ll make it home. I promise. Love you. _ The best part? He hadn’t even been grounded. Trying to grow up without his mom would’ve been like trying to survive without eating blue chocolate chip cookies.

“You coming?” The magician called over his shoulder. With a start, Percy was drawn back to the present, hurrying to catch up with Carter as they entered the lobby.

Posh. That was the only word to describe the inside of the building. Waxed wood floors, gold inlaid accents, a large, central chandelier, people traversing the open areas in smart business attire; everything about the place screamed overly flamboyant. Which, of course, only served to make the young demigod feel even more out-of-place in his faded orange t-shirt and jeans. Worn sneakers squeaked unattractively on the hardwood underfoot, drawing annoyed glares from the Shard’s normal inhabitants while Percy inwardly cringed with each step.

On the other hand- or, foot- Carter was completely unfazed by the extra attention, striding purposefully towards the set of central elevators. Dressed in a solid blue collared shirt and long khaki slacks, the magician’s attire made it look like he belonged within the lavish walls- at least, moreso than Percy.

They reached the elevators, four sets of mirrored surfaces flanking the walkway. Carter pressed the ‘up’ arrow, the symbol flashing blue as it called the lift. In between each pair of elevators was a glass panel, behind which was a list of every floor and it’s  accommodations . Percy glanced over the directory while they waited for the lift. His sea green gaze travelled lazily down the index of offices and estate rooms and restaurants on the various floors. As he came to the end of the catalogue, he frowned.

“Uh… Carter, I think we have a problem. This only goes up eighty-seven levels.” The demigod explained, pointing to the directory. “There’s no eighty-eighth floor.”

The magician looked over at the catalogue with a scoff. “That’s not possible, Amos said the entrance was on the eighty-eighth floor…” Carter’s skeptical expression morphed into one of confusion as his eyes reached the bottom of the list. “Which- apparently- does not exist.”

The two boys stood for a moment, both staring at the words on the last line of the directory that read, ‘87th Floor: Observatory, Shard Lounge’.

“Could your Uncle have mixed up the numbers?” The demigod mentioned with a shrug.

Carter shook his head sharply. “There’s no way Amos would be wrong. He’s the, commander, of the House of Life, privy to the location of all three-hundred-and-sixty Egyptian Nomes.”

The word distortion was back, Percy noted. Carter’s mouth having moved much longer than the one word ‘commander’. Disinclined to create another ‘you said blah’, ‘no, I said  _ blah _ ’ situation like back on the Argo III, the demigod chose not to bring it up. If the Mist wanted to play linguist that was fine by him.

“So then, how do we get to a floor that doesn’t exist…” Carter mused, stumped.

Percy had a rare moment of insight, recalling Annabeth’s constant lectures during the reconstruction of Olympus a few years prior. His girlfriend had explained that instead of being located on a  _ physical _ mountain, Olympus resided on a metaphysical, earthen duplicate.

_ “The mountain doesn’t connect to the ground.” Sixteen-year-old Annabeth said with a roll of her eyes as she dumbed it down for the Son of Poseidon. “It connects to the mortal world by a space elevator. The Mist is responsible for cloaking Olympus’ existence from non-demigods, which is the reason why mortals can’t see it.” _

_ “Even if they can’t see it, wouldn’t planes and helicopters and stuff still crash when they fly over the Empire State Building?” Percy asked with a tilt of his head. _

_ Annabeth blinked, pursing her lips. “Well… Only if they exist in the same dimension-” _

The Daughter of Athena had then gone on to detail the potential of dimensional shifting caused by the godly forces. At which point, Percy had purposefully tuned her out, instead choosing to admire how adorable the blonde was when she was thinking. The way her nose would scrunch up, her stormy eyes flashing with excitement as she considered every possibility and explored every avenue of thought.

With a shake of the head, Percy refocused on the task at hand, suggesting, “Maybe the nome isn’t visible to mortals? I know some places of Greek power that are hidden by the Mist.”

“If it’s existing on another plane- a different layer of the Duat then…” Carter’s fingers drummed on the edge of his satchel, amber eyes bright as he began talking to himself; focus narrowing to solve this new problem. “So if it’s on a separate plane, it would be similar to the Brooklyn House… only… but then the entrance would be where? There’s no obvious access point-”

Carter’s eyes snared onto something and his confusion vanished. A literal lightbulb turned on above his head as the elevator arrived with a soft ‘ding’. “Oh, that’s clever. That’s  _ very _ clever.” A smile graced the magicians face as he spoke. People exited the lift en masse, many of them heading towards the exit as their work day came to a close.

“What’s clever?” Percy looked back at the directory, seeing nothing noteworthy that could’ve caused the sudden moment of clarity.

“We have to go to the thirty-second floor.” Carter said in a non-answer, stepping into the now empty elevator. Percy frowned as he followed suit.

“Why?”

“Because that’s where the entrance is.”

The demigod was beginning to agree with Sadie’s earlier comment about Carter being ‘vague and generally annoying’. “That still doesn’t explain how-” Percy stopped talking as a few mortals joined them inside the narrow lift. 

The newcomers barely spared the two teens a glance before continuing some conversation about stock market prices and the current happenings as the elevator doors closed. Listening to the locals, Percy couldn’t help but have a wayward thought that even their British accents sounded posh. In comparison, he probably sounded like a country hick every time he opened his mouth. The lift’s ascent was smooth and quick, vastly contrasting the rickety New York apartment elevator Percy was used to. The demigod barely noticed the lift slow to a stop as they reached the desired floor.

He and Carter stepped out last, the former glancing around at the new scenery while the latter adjusted the strap of his satchel. The glass paned outer wall looked over the Thames River, a beautiful, picturesque scene of the London skyline stretched out before them. The thirty-second floor was devoted to two main restaurants. To their left, a onyx black and silver sign promoted the Aquashard’s innovative and contemporary British cuisine and magnificent views. To their right, a pure white logo advertising the Oblix’s sophisticated, yet relaxed, dining experience.

Percy stared at the white sign for a long moment. “Obelisk?” He said, sounding out the word. “Wow… real subtle.”

Carter snickered. “I never said they were sneaky, just clever. The entrance should be hidden somewhere inside.”

“Hidden how? What exactly are we looking for?”

“An Egyptian symbol.” Carter explained. “Probably an  _ ankh _ surrounded by a box.” Upon seeing Percy’s blank look of ignorance, the magician rummaged around in his bag for a minute, producing a sheet of yellowed paper and an ink pen. Hastily, he sketched the marking, handing the sheet to Percy when he was done.

“Something like that.” The magician elaborated. The _ankh_ looked like the capital letter ‘T’ with a loop on top of the intersection. Carter had drawn an open rectangular box that the lower portion of the ‘T’ bisected.

“Alright. What does it stand for?” Percy tucked the sketch away in his back pocket.

“It literally means ‘House of Life’.” The magician revealed as they walked towards the Oblix restaurant. “The  _ ankh _ , that loopy ‘T’ thing, stands for life, and the box around it-”

“Means house?” Percy guessed.

“Yup.” Carter nodded, facing forwards again as they reached the hostess podium. The magician smiled charmingly at the young lady behind the stand. “Good evening, ma’am. My friend called in a reservation earlier today, he’s waiting for us inside.”

The woman smiled back. “Of course, sir. Please, go ahead.”

“Thank you.” Carter replied, the picture of politeness as he strolled into the diner. Percy grinned a bit as he followed, the kid was good.

As he passed by the podium, the woman got her first real look at Percy. Her eyes widened, flicking down and back up at his appearance before she called, “Sir, please, stop!”

“Oh, no- I’m with him.” Percy tried to explain to the hostess, but the woman shook her head.

“I don’t doubt that, sir.” She said. “But I’m afraid I cannot let you in as you are.”

The boys exchanged a look. “Why not?” Carter folded his arms across his chest, looking ever the part of the displeased patron.

The hostess gave them an apologetic look and gestured to a sign in the window that read: Dress code is minimum smart casual. Oblix employees will mandate that entry will not be allowed to those wearing shorts, flip flops, dirty or worn attire, or sports shoes.

It took Percy’s brain a long minute to process what he’d seen. “You have a…  _ dress code _ ? For a restaurant?” He was torn between laughing and frowning, his facial features settling into a confused grimace.

“Yes, sir. All of the Shards dining facilities must adhere to the policy.” The hostess elaborated. Percy opened his mouth to argue how incredibly ridiculous it was to have a dress code for a restaurant when the lady sighed. “I can call security.” 

Percy knew a threat when he heard one, but he had half a mind to ignore it. Luckily for him, the other half of his brain that was thinking rationally caused the demigod to hesitate, allowing the magician to come to the rescue.

“No- no that won't be necessary.” Carter assured hurriedly, grabbing Percy’s arm and pulling him a ways away.

“They’re totally picking on me because I’m American!” The demigod protested once they were out of earshot. “ _ You _ didn't get in trouble!”

“They’re picking on you because you dress like a teenager.” Carter corrected.

“I would hope so, seeing as I  _ am  _ a teenager.” Percy snorted and gestured to a passing businessman dressed to impress. “Why would anyone  _ willingly _ walk around in one of those penguin suits? Besides, fancy clothes would only hinder me if we got into a fight.”

Carter shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips at the older boy’s childish complaints. “I’m no fan of suits, but Dad always forced me to dress ‘impeccably’, whether we were going to a college lecture or crawling through a dusty old tomb.” He shook his head. “Let me tell you, getting red clay out of Oxford fabric?  _ Not _ fun.”

“So what’s the plan now?” Percy asked.

Carter tapped his chin, thinking for a moment before nodding to himself. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll go in, scout out where the entrance is. Then, when I find it, I’ll come back out, cast a glamour charm-”

“A what now?”

“And then we can both go in and we make a beeline for the Ninth Nome.” Carter surmised with an assuring grin. “Just- wait here, I’ll be back soon.”

And with that the magician was gone, leaving Percy alone by the elevators. The demigod huffed, plopping himself down on one of the ornate benches that lined the walkway. Whatever this ‘glamor charm’ Carter had mentioned was, Percy was  _ not _ looking forwards to it. He had seen the havoc a child of Aphrodite could reap with magical makeup, Piper seemed especially good at it; even convincing Percy to style his hair with gel once. Gel! Gods, had that been a disaster. It had taken a full week to get the sticky sensation out of his hair, and twice as long for Annabeth to stop teasing him about it.

Time dragged on slowly as he waited. Much too slowly for the likes of the ADHD demigod. In an attempt to keep himself occupied, Percy drummed his fingers on his knees. Then he tapped his foot on the ground. Eventually he gave up on trying to sit still and began pacing, walking up and down the narrow hallway. He glanced at his watch and groaned.  _ Only five minutes? _ For a second he wondered what was taking Carter so long, the restaurant wasn’t  _ that _ big from what he’d seen. Then he chastised himself with a shake of the head. The magician was looking for a hidden doorway to a place that- quite possibly- existed in a different dimension. If he’d found it in under five minutes Percy would’ve been concerned for their security.

With a sigh, Percy looked up, finding himself standing at the entrance to the other restaurant: Aquashard. The boxed in black and silver logo stared back at him, and that’s when Percy noticed that the ‘q’ looked… wrong. The letter was stylized in an odd way, with the circle part of the ‘q’ situated over the bottom part of a cross shape. The lower leg of which bisected the black border that encased the logo’s rectangular format. It was oddly familiar...

Blinking, Percy reached into his pocket and fished out Carter’s sketch, holding up the drawing so that the image covered the logo. Then he dropped his arm, brought it up again, dropped it, and glanced between the similarly configured symbols.

“Percy?” The demigod turned to see Carter walking down the hallway, wearing a perplexed expression. “What are you doing over there? I thought I said to wait by the elevators.”

“Any luck?” The demigod asked, ignoring the magicians question.

“No.” Carter looked frustrated. “There’s not a single hieroglyph in that place. Just curved chairs and soft lighting.”

Percy nodded. Then he turned toward the Aquashard logo and pointed. “Is  _ that _ what you were looking for?”

Carter frowned, looking past Percy. “Is  _ what _ what I was looking- oh.” The magician blinked a few times. Then he laughed, running a hand through his hair. “You mean to say I was just at the wrong restaurant?”

Percy just shrugged, silently pleased that his ‘teenager’ apparel had let him find the  _ ankh  _ thing first. 

“Yes. That’s  _ exactly _ what I was looking for.” Carter said, stepping forwards and extending his hand towards the logo. Taking a deep breath, the magician closed his eyes, the  _ ankh  _ symbol glowing a honey gold. There was a flash of light, Percy instinctively throwing up a hand to cover his eyes. When the burst receded, the demigod lowered the appendage to see a rectangular sand vortex swirling where the logo had once stood.

Carter brushed his hands together and eyed the entrance warily before saying, “Let's hope they’re friendly.”

“Wait- what?” But Percy’s question went unanswered as the magician stepped through the portal. The demigod hesitated for only a split second before following suit.

When he passed through the entryway, it felt like stepping into a sauna; the very air becoming dry and heavy and pressing in on him. Percy’s world was overtaken by sand, his vision filled with the small granules. It only lasted for a moment, the sensation vanishing and his surroundings reformed.

Glancing around, the demigod initially worried that he had gotten stuck in the doorway. There was sand  _ everywhere _ . As far as the eye could see. A few structures rose from the landscape, as equally earthen hued as the ground it sat upon. The temple-like structures were dwarfed by a large pyramid that rose in the distance. Carter started trudging toward one of them with purpose, so the demigod followed.

Personally, Percy thought this much sand without a beach was a crime. But maybe that was because he was a child of Poseidon.

The only spot of color on the brown canvas horizon was the large central oasis directly in front of the teens. Stone temples surrounded the lake, each structure delicately, yet simply, ornate with carved hieroglyphs. Large palms over arched a sapphire blue lake, a small gaggle of camels calmly drinking from the water source.

_ Camels in London? _ Percy frowned. Then he shrugged, he’d seen weirder. Although his mind began to debate whether or not they were actually still in the Shard Tower.

“We’re still in London.” Carter explained, as if he’d read the demigods mind. “The Ninth None is on another plane of the Duat- that’s why it can't be accessed by mortals. Or, at least, I  _ think _ that’s how it works…” A flash of uncertainty crossed the magicians features before he shook his head. 

“Either way, it looks like they chose to model the space after Egypt.” Carter said, his gaze sweeping across the area as he pointed to the various buildings. “That’s the Temple of Ra, over there is the Hall of Kings, and that-” The magician’s voice stopped abruptly. “Is not good.”

“Can you  _ please _ stop saying that.” Percy grumbled even as he followed Carter’s finger.

Standing near the water’s edge were six figures dressed in the same white linen clothes Carter was wearing when Percy had first met the kid. The only exception was the tall, silver haired woman in the center. Her robes were a royal purple, with shimmering gold threads interwoven in the fabric. An equally ornate belt and necklace adorned with stones completed the regal attire. As he watched, the small congregation began approaching the two arrivals.

“Friends of yours?” The demigod asked.

Carter shrugged. “Potentially.”

Percy frowned. He didn’t like that answer. “What exactly do you mean, ‘potentially’?”

“As in, they may or may not try to kill us.” The magician elaborated. “Egyptian Nomes are very independent, it’s rare for a scribe to travel to a Nome they weren’t assigned to. These people here,” Carter tilted his head towards the group as they neared. “Are probably here to assess if we’re a threat or not.”

Percy was about to comment that if they were both magicians what did it matter, until he recalled almost the same sort of hostility between the Greek and Roman camps. They too had been instinctively distrustful of the other establishment, and the friction between the groups had certainly made their alliance  _ difficult,  _ but never had they outright refused to cooperate. Even while worshipping different versions of their deities, a common enemy had quickly united them. Shouldn’t that work here?

Before Percy could voice his thoughts, their welcome party stopped, halting their advance a good twenty-five yards away. Close enough to talk, but far enough to have time to retaliate in response to a potential attack.

Now that the London magicians were in close proximity, the demigod was able to note the small variations among the rank. To the far left was a bald, african-american man, a long white staff held in his right hand. Next to him was a young blonde girl, maybe a little older than Carter with striking shamrock eyes. Flanking the purple robed elder were the Egyptian equivalent of children of Ares. A male and female, both wearing sleeveless shirts that displayed well-muscled and toned forearms. The girl had an auburn braid, a heavy spear casually draped over her shoulder. The male had a military buzz cut, a thick, curved sword- longer and heavier looking than Carter’s- held lightly in his hand. The woman on the far right also held a staff, her short black hair cropped away from her face.

They all looked less than pleased to have visitors. Percy waved anyways.

Baldy scowled in response. But he didn’t say anything, instead stopping to stand in formation with his white-robed companions. The woman in purple came forward a few more steps, signifying herself as the person in charge and, it looked like, the only one who would be talking.  _ Carter better not be expecting me to act the same way _ , Percy decided as he stayed even with the magician’s right side.

The woman spoke first. “I am Latoya Barnes.  _ Sem Preist _ of the Ninth Nome.” She declared, her chin tilting ever-so-slightly skyward with her own declaration.

“I’m Carter Kane.” The kid said simply, not bothering with a title.

“Are you some priest, too?” Percy wondered aloud.

“Percy!” Carter chastised, trying to sound indignant even as his own mouth threatened to smile. “ _ Sem Priests _ are senior magicians, they report directly to the, commander,.” The magician whispered.

_ The cookie uncle, got it. _ Percy nodded.

The purple robed woman didn’t bother introducing her comrades, ignoring the demigod entirely as she narrowed her eyes at Carter. “Carter Kane. We’ve been awaiting your arrival.”

“Really?” The kid seemed genuinely surprised, but then he relaxed, a smile gracing his face. “So then Amos must’ve told you about-”

“The, commander, had no need to contact us.” Latoya interrupted. Her face a mask of controlled calm. “I was aware you would be stopping by.”

“You’re a diviner?” Carter asked, though he breathed in relief like that was the only explanation. “Good, so you already know why we’re here. Do you-”

“We will not hand over the Book.” 

Carters words died mid-sentence. The kid blinked a few times, barely managing a, “What?” through his shock.

Percy wasn’t shocked so much as confused. Carter had said his mom had been a diviner, able to see the future. So then, if this woman was also some sort of oracle- “Why not?” He asked, his question earning looks of disapproval from the white-robed scribes that stood behind Latoya. “If you can see the future than you know we need that Book thing to help stop Hathor-” 

“It is because I have seen the future that I cannot allow the Kanes to acquire the object you seek.” Latoya didn’t so much as glance at the demigod as she answered. “If I were to do so, they would obtain even  _ more _ power than they already possess. I am not willing to permit that. The Path of the Gods is overpowered as is.”

Percy felt more than saw Carter stiffen besides him. The kid’s brows had crashed down over hazel eyes and he practically growled when he spoke. “The Twenty-First Nome’s field of study is no longer prohibited-”

“Although it should be.” The  _ Sem Preist _ interrupted, yet again.

Once more, Percy found himself confused by the turn in conversation. “What’s wrong with following the gods?”

Latoya’s mask cracked, her eyes twitching and her thin lips turning downward in a scowl. “Because the gods destroyed our civilization!” She hissed. “By the time Egypt fell and the late Lord Iskander banned the Path of the Gods, even the most remote Nomes had come to realize the truth. The London coalition was severely damaged in the war against Apophis, a battle that would never have come to pass had it not been for the interference of Julius and Ruby Kane. Their dabblings in an outlawed field cost many honorable magicians their life.”

Carter’s aura was formidable. “My parents,” He snarled, “were  _ not _ responsible for that.” The London magicians actually took a physical step back as waves of frustration and anger rolled over them like gales of wind. Latoya was the only one who seemed unphased by the kid’s reaction. Percy even saw the elder’s lips twitch upwards in a satisfied grin.  _ She’s _ trying _ to make him mad _ , the demigod realized.

This woman was definitely starting to get on Percy’s nerves he decided, placing a hand on Carter’s shoulder as he stepped up to the defense of his friend. The physical contact seemed to snap the younger boy out of his rage and he blinked, the murderous aura shrinking rapidly.

“If you’ve seen the future,” Percy said, directing his words towards Latoya, “Then you know that a powerful undead magician is-”

“Setne’s plan will fail on its own.” The woman waved aside the demigods concern, frowning at the Son of Poseidon’s interference. “He does not possess the Egyptian materials necessary to backstab the goddess. Even if he managed to succeed, he would still not be as all-powerful as he intends.”

“That’s not a risk we should take.” Carter said, his tone back under control as he locked eyes with the  _ Sem Priest _ . “Hathor is still out there-”

“We and the other Nomes shall take care of the goddess.” Latoya explained, looking at the two teens as if they were naughty children who had spilled flour all over the rug. “Even without the Twenty-First Nome’s assistance, we shall be able to clean up  _ your _ mess.”

Percy opened his mouth to argue but the  _ Sem Priest _ had only paused for a moment. “Leave. Now. Or be detained here.” She added as an afterthought, the London mages behind her taking up battle stances.

Carter glanced at Percy, talking a deep breath before replying. “We’re not leaving without the Book.”

That was all Latoya needed to hear. She raised her hand, and on cue, four of the five magicians around her rushed forwards.

Baldy raised his hand and began chanting while the female staff weiler moved to the edge of the oasis. Those with melee weapons charged Carter, the kid barely drawing his  _ khopesh _ in time to deflect a blow from the sword-wielder. Carter was forced to jump back as the girl shoved her spear at his midriff. Percy uncapped Riptide and made to help his friend but the earth in front of him rumbled, cracking open into deep chasms. Four bony hands reached up from the fissure, and the demigod felt a growing sense of dread as he watched the skeletons pull themselves out of the ground. Each of them were wrapped sloppily in bandages, all four wielding the same kind of curved sword as Carter.

“Wonderful.” Percy muttered. He didn’t know how the Egyptian version worked, but Greek skeletons were a pain to re-kill without a child of Hades or a weapon of Stygian Iron.

Backing up, Percy deflected one of the undead’s swords and spun out of the way of another’s clumsy thrust. As he maneuvered, Riptide snaked forwards, severing some of the wrappings that bound one of the skeletons shoulder. The demigod wasn’t expecting the blow to do any real damage aside from knocking it back: whenever Nico summoned underlings to spar with, the Greek weapons seemed to be as effective as cutting down a tree with a butter knife. So the demigod was pleasantly surprised when the Egyptian skeletons arm simply fell off.

Percy blinked in surprise at how frail these undead were. Then he grinned and let his battle instincts take over, not even feeling the need to summon his demigod power as he tore through the rest of Baldy’s underlings with just his sword. With no damage resistance and no brains for strategy the undead were barely better than practice dummies. Riptide’s celestial bronze blade hissed with every strike, as though equally annoyed with the poor competition.

The Son of Poseidon must have cut down a good dozen or so before the skeletons’ onslaught ceased. Looking up, Percy saw that Baldy had crumpled, his linen clothes steaming as the blond raced over to his side. The girl raised a hand, a glowing hieroglyph flaring under her palm. The steam slowly stopped and she helped Baldy into a sitting position, the man looking a bit more refreshed.

_ Some kind of medic _ , Percy realized with a frown. His attention was drawn away from the girl as he heard a strangled cry from his left. Glancing over, the demigod saw that Carter had managed to knock out one of his opponents, the spear girl falling to the ground. Percy felt a surge of elation, they were gaining the upper hand!

And all too quickly, they lost it.

Percy watched as a stream of water blasted into Carter, knocking the kid to the sand. The demigod’s gaze snapped to the other staff-wielder as she directed the attack, channeling water from the oasis’ pond like a firehose. The stream slowed and the liquid coalesced, encasing Carter in a large coffin of water. A burst of bubbles escaped the kids mouth as he struggled to swim out, not making any headway despite his attempts.

Percy got mad.

How dare this- this  _ witch _ , use his father's domain,  _ Percy’s _ element, to harm one of his friends. With a war cry that would’ve made Clarisse proud, Percy crossed his arms in front of him, channeling his connection with the water.

It felt wrong to him, to feel someone else forcing water into such an unnatural shape. The magic of the magician didn’t let it move and swirl like a whirlpool or even waver, and the element itself preferred his instinctive direction. Like the ebb and flow of rising tides, the Son of Poseidon felt his connection smother that of the magicians control.

Pulling his arms down to his sides, the demigod parted the unnatural coffin into two waves that split it down the middle. Carter dropped unceremoniously to the sand. Percy sparing a second to watch the kid cough a few times before turning to the London magicians, the water churning angrily at his side.

They all stood in shock, Latoya’s eyebrows having risen while the others mouths had dropped open. Pressing his advantage, Percy directed the water towards the staff-wielder, the magician snapping out of her daze to raise her weapon. She said a word and Percy felt his connection with the water wane as the liquid split around her. The demigod wasn’t finished, however, calling forth a blast from the oasis as he charged forwards. The elementalist redirected the water, dousing Percy as he approached. The London magician smiled as she attempted the same trick as she had with Carter, forming the water into a sphere around the demigod. Her confidence faltered as she saw Percy grin instead of panic. Then her expression turned to pure fear as he took a deep, deliberate breath and didn’t choke.

Encased in his domain, the Son of Poseidon felt the water give him strength, eliminating his fatigue. Once again, his natural instincts crashed over the magicians control like a wave upon the rocks. The water propelled him forwards and he swung, the flat of his blade solidly connecting with his opponent's forehead, sending her crashing to the sand. The demigod released his hold on the water, panting a bit from the exertion. 

For the first time since their arrival, Latoya Barnes met the demigods gaze. Her faded brown eyes were clouded with uncertainty as she looked him up and down. “Who are you? The Eye of Sobek?”

“The name’s Percy Jackson.” The demigod declared, “Son of Poseidon. Retired Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, Head Counselor of Camp Half-Blood and Nine Time Savior of Olympus.” He wasn’t sure if stopping Kronos and Gaea should could multiple or single times in this case, but he figured nine sounded impressive enough. 

“I’ll remember that.” The  _ Sem Priest _ nodded, despite the look of confusion that persisted on her face.

Percy allowed himself a satisfied smirk- it wasn’t as good as an  _ ‘I give up’ _ , but it was a step in the right direction- before turning to help Carter, who had re-engaged with the sword-wielder. As he watched, the demigod wondered if maybe he  _ had _ swallowed too much lake water because what he saw was hard to believe. Annabeth’s words from the other day rang in his ears,  _ “...with Carter in his glowing chicken form…” _

What his girlfriend had failed to mention was that the chicken was blue.

Carter was encased in a giant chicken-headed warrior avatar, whereas the sword wielder had conjured up a similar embodiment, only his was purple and had a faceless human head as opposed to an animal one. Glorified versions of their weapons clashed in a surprisingly fast-paced battle.

“Holy Hera! What the creeping crud is  _ that _ ? You’re inside a giant glowing chicken-man!” Percy pointed out unhelpfully.

“Falcon!” Carter corrected, looking mildly annoyed, although with his opponent or the demigod, Percy couldn’t tell. “A little help here?”

Galvanized into action, Percy surged towards his ally, not entirely optimistic about fighting something the size of a giant. He’d fought giants before.  _ Not _ his idea of fun. Luckily for Percy, he didn’t have to worry about fighting the giant glowing sword-wielder. Instead, the demigod found himself facing another- albeit smaller- horde of skeletal undead as Baldy regained the ability to cast spells. As he cut through the masses, he saw the blond healer running over towards the elementalist.

_ Wonderful _ , Percy grit his teeth,  _ as long as that medic holds out, this fight won't end _ .

“Combat magic.” Percy heard Latoya say distastefully as she observed the battle. “This is what the House of Life was like when we followed the Path of the Gods, Carter Kane: magician fighting magician, backstabbing and duels between the different temples in a bid for power. Do you want to return to those times?”

Percy finished cutting down the last skeleton, seeing Baldy fall to his knees, his magic spent. An idea had formed in the demigods mind and he circled around, he caught Carter's gaze and the kid nodded.

“What I want,” Carter said as he deflected a blow. “Is for you to hear me out.”

Latoya sneered. “Hear you out?” She repeated. “You- The one who shirked his responsibilities to his uncle by denouncing the throne. Leaving the adult to fix the problems  _ you _ created.”

“I was not-” Carter grunted as he blocked a diagonal cut, the curved portion of his blade locking with the sword-wielder as they struggled for the upper hand. “ _ Am _ not ready to assume command. That’s why I delegated the position to Amos.”

Most of what they were saying made no sense to Percy. It  _ sounded _ like Latoya was saying that Carter should’ve been in this ‘commander’ position: but that was preposterous! Carter was fourteen years old: a  _ kid _ . Percy shook his head, making a mental note to ask the magician about it later, as of now, he had to end this fight.

Latoya was talking again, completely focused on the two combat avatars as they traded blows. “You refuse to be held accountable and yet it was you who dared to awaken Ra. How naive. You know nothing of the power you unleashed and yet-” The  _ Sem Priest _ stopped talking abruptly, her whole body stiffening. “No.” She breathed, making to turn around.

Her reflexes were too slow. While the elder had been engaging in a battle of wits, the demigod had snuck up behind her. As Latoya began to move, Percy had covered the small distance remaining, clamping an arm around the elders midriff, pinning her arms to her sides while Riptide flashed up, hovering just below the woman’s chin.

“Call off your people.” The Son of Poseidon said, his voice measured and calm.

By contrast, Latoya’s tone overflowed with outrage. “You would dare order  _ me _ ? I am-”

“You’re rude, annoying, irritating and I have half a mind to lop your head off anyway except for the fact that we need you to tell us where to find this Book of the Dead.” Percy interrupted, allowing some malice to creep into his words. “The only reason you’re still alive is because we’re in a bit of a hurry so I’ll ask once more, and once more  _ only _ . Call. Off. The. Attack.”

Still the  _ Sem Priest _ hesitated. Percy provided the necessary persuasion by increasing pressure on her neck with the edge of his sword. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to prompt a reaction from the elder woman.

“Stand down.” Latoya spoke only as loud as she dared. “That’s an order.”

At the command, the healer and elementalist- who had recently come to- both looked up, their jaws going slack when they registered the scene before them. The purple avatar vanished, the sword-wielder grinding his teeth as he glared at Percy. He took a step towards the demigod and Percy’s eyes snapped over at the movement.

“Not another step, Mr. Muscles.” The Son of Poseidon ordered, shifting Riptide so that the sunlight gleamed off the celestial bronze. Carter’s chicken form faded a second later, the kid smiling grimly at his comrade. Having successfully ended the fight, Percy nodded to himself.

“Good.” He said. “Now, tell little miss nursemaid over there to go fetch the book. Carter-” Percy called, looking towards his friend. “Go with her to make sure it’s the right one. If you’re not back within five minutes, or if she comes back without you, then the some priest will become a none priest.”

Latoya watched as the two younger magicians raced towards one of the nearby temples. As they disappeared into the building, she spoke, directing her words at Percy.

“You have announced yourself as an enemy of the Ninth Nome with this action.” She said, tapping her chin against the sword held at her neck.

“Don’t care.” Percy shrugged.  _ Just add it to the list of ‘People Who Want to Kill Percy Jackson’ _ , He thought sullenly, realizing that said list was actually getting pretty long.

“You would throw your lot in with the Kanes? How very foolish.” The remark didn’t sound scathing, for once. Instead it seemed like Latoya was genuinely disappointed by the demigods choice.

“If it’s considered foolish to try and save the world, then sure- I’m a fool.”

Latoya managed a short, bitter bark of laughter. “I never deemed the actions of preventing the apocalypse to be a waste. Just the means you are using to attain such an outcome. The Twenty-First Nome, and the Kane’s heritage in particular, are much too omnipotent already.”

“Having power isn’t a hindrance if it’s used for good.” Percy retaliated.

“ _ If _ it is used for good. And that is the problem with the Kanes.”

Percy frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Imagine the devastation that would be wrought if the Kanes were to turn their power against the House of Life.”

The demigod shook his head. “They would never-”

“Do you really believe that?” Latoya sounded unmoved by Percy’s protestation. “If the boy’s sibling were in peril do you think that he would hesitate to do whatever was necessary to save his sister.”

“Well, of course he would do anything to save Sadie, they’re family.”

“And if the only way to rescue the girl was to use his magic with malintent? What do you think he would chose then?” Latoya pressed.

Unlike earlier, when the woman had been goading Carter, this time she seemed to genuinely be concerned. As if she honestly believed that the Kanes were a potential threat and was trying to warn the demigod of their nefarious intentions. Percy shook his head,  _ she’s just trying to turn me against my friend so she can get out of her predicament… right? _ For a moment, his loyalty wavered. Was he really on the right side? Could he trust Carter and Sadie, who had been so secretive with them?  _ Yes _ , Percy decided,  _ at least… for now _ .

His train of thought was disrupted as Carter and the blond medic returned, emerging from the temple and jogging back towards the oasis.

Carter nodded encouragingly as he got within earshot. “I’ve got it. Let’s go.”

Still holding onto his hostage, Percy backed towards where his friend was reopening the portal. “Their affection for one another shall be their undoing.” The  _ Sem Priest _ muttered ominously, “The world will descend into Chaos by their hand.” The words barely loud enough for the demigod to hear.

The glowing sand vortex swirled into existence. Percy nodded for Carter to go through and waited until the magician had crossed over the boundary before shoving Latoya away from him and jumping after his ally. The portals momentary disorientation faded and Percy found himself back in the Shard Tower, standing in front of the Aquashard logo next to Carter. At their feet was a small pile of red sand. The demigod moved to the elevator, pressing the down arrow before noticing that the magician was still next to the entrance.

“Carter, what are you doing?” Percy hissed. “We need to put some distance between us and this place- I doubt Latoya’s gonna just let us walk out with-”

“I know, hang on.” The magician raised his hand and a hieroglyph flashed in front of the shrinking sand vortex. The glowing edges of the portal burned a cobalt blue before the whole entrance vanished. “There, that should hold them for a bit.” Carter sighed, smiling as he walked towards the lift.

“What did you do?” Percy frowned.

Carter grinned. “I temporarily locked down the portal for the next, oh, six-or-so hours.”

The demigod blinked. “You can do that?”

“I can do lots of things with magic.” The magician replied. “Things other than making stuff explode.”

“Giant chicken mode.” Percy remembered with a smile.

“Dude, my avatar is a  _ falcon-headed warrior. _ ”

“I still think you could get a sponsorship deal with KFC. Make some big bucks.” The demigod teased as the lift arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Side Note: Yes, the two restaurants in this chapter ARE real, yes, they DO require a dress code, and yes, the Aquashard's logo DOES feature an ankh. You all have no idea how thrilled I was to find out that tidbit of information as I was writing. Must be some kind of divine intervention going on... or just pure dumb luck.
> 
> Anyway, have a wonderful Friday evening- erm... weekend and I'll catch you all tomorrow- I mean, Sunday. Because this was totally posted on Friday. Yeah. That is all.  
> <3


	12. Bloody Duct Tape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadie gets a call from death, Annabeth does NOT try the scones, and both girls realize that London is a bit more dangerous than they thought.
> 
> Or: Sadie and Annabeth have a girls night out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Had to edit this a bit before posting (hindsight it a WONDERFUL tool to use for writing) as I realized something about Sadie's phone call with Walt. Namely she did NOT sound mad at him (like, at all) so that got changed a bit :) yay feuding couples!
> 
> Anyway- still in London for now. I know NY taxi drivers are a bit rough around the edges sometimes, and I realize that's probably a universal trait (?) but I've never been to London so I guess this is my hopeful take on how things are over there...  
> ...I'm probably dead wrong. But hey! That's why it's called fanFICTION :P
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Sadie POV)**

The flying snake ruined my day.

Everything up until then had been going smoothly. Finding the things on Leo’s shopping list turned out to be easier than I’d first thought, and a mere forty-five minutes after we’d parted ways with my brother and Percy, we’d acquired nearly all of the items. ‘Nearly’ being the key word.

“Polka dot Duct Tape?” I cast a quizzical gaze to my demigod companion as the taxi pulled into the shopping plaza. “Why in Horus does he need  _ polka dot _ Duct Tape? Can’t we just get him regular duct tape and be done with it?”

Annabeth smiled, as if amused by my impatience. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the children of Hephaestus, it’s that they can be  _ very _ explicit about what tools they use. Besides,” she glanced down at her watch, “we’ve got plenty of time to spare.”

Something was up with the demigod. I didn’t know what, but for some reason she had been uncharacteristically non-inquisitive ever since our departure from the Needle. Occasionally I would catch her looking at me, grey eyes filled with- not pity, exactly- but understanding. The only reason I could pinpoint as for her sudden mood shift was that Carter must’ve divulged the significance of Cleopatra's Needle to the demigods. It was practically the headstone of mom’s grave.

Then again, maybe the blond had just finally run out of questions. As unlikely as the second option was, I was glad that Annabeth- for whatever reason- chose not to pry into my personal life during our little errand run.

“We’re here, miss.” The cabbie announced, putting the car in park. “That’ll be fifteen pounds.”

I handed him a twenty. “Wait for us? We’ll only be ten minutes.” The driver shrugged and nodded, taking the money and tucking it into his pocket as we exited the car.

“Well.” I said, looking at the multicolored neon store sign. “If we can’t find it here, we won’t find it anywhere.”

The large, warehouse-like building before us stretched out on either side. The florescent lights on top of the entrance doors reading ‘SMARTY PARTY: Party smarter  _ and _ harder’. Large signs in the store windows promoted various mega sales and outstanding seasonal offers on themed items. The inside of the building was no less colorful, rows upon rows of costumes, fake jewelry, balloons, stickers, party plates and utensils, games for kids, goodie bag choices, and so on and so forth running the length of the building.

Glancing over at Annabeth, I saw the demigod standing stock still, mouth on the floor, eyes impossibly wide as she slowly took in all the sights. “This place is  _ huge _ .” She breathed.

“Y-up!” I nodded, rubbing my hands together. “So here’s the game plan, I’ll take isles one to nineteen, you search through rows twenty to forty, and we’ll meet back here in ten minutes.” The strategy-style sentence seemed to snap the older girl from her stupor and she nodded.

“Good plan.”

“Of course it’s a good plan.” I scoffed. “ _ I  _ came up with it.”

We split up to cover more ground, Annabeth heading off to the right while I started down the rows of apparel and accessories to the left.

I’d only been in the store once before; Liz and Emma had dragged me along to find matching ‘charlie's angels’ halloween costumes a few years back. Smarty Party was the first- and last- stop on that venture. It left quite a first impression. I smiled, my mind flashing back to that halloween with my mates; Emma had tried on practically  _ everything _ in the store while Liz and I laughed at some of the ludicrous skimpy nurse costumes.Three hours and a hundred pound note later we’d walked out with our purchases.

Not that I would ever admit it, but I missed being in London. America was great and all, but being back home brought forth all the memories I’d had before learning about my magical heritage. Back when life had held some semblance of normality.

Then dad had blown up the Rosetta stone, released five major egyptian gods- one of which tried  _ very _ hard to kill us, A+ for effort- and ever since we’ve been constantly saving the world from imminent destruction. My education quickly evolved from learning about math and english, to studying words of power and practicing complex spell invocations.

I was in aisle six, scanning a shelf with Mythomagic cards (now with new Egyptian, Roman and Norse expansion packs!) when my phone buzzed. Pulling it out of my back pocket, I glanced at the caller ID and smiled. Accepting the call, I brought the phone up to my ear, hearing a beautifully deep voice on the other end of the line (a voice that was back in Brooklyn and  _ not _ here with me in London).

“Sadie?”

I rolled my eyes to the heavens. “No, Walt, this is Carter. When you dialed  _ my _ number who did you  _ think _ was going to pick up?”

“Ah… right. So Carter’s with you, then?” Walt sounded relieved, which only served to make me worry. “Good.”

I hesitated, my mind running through a million questions before finally settling on, “Why is that a good thing?”

“Hmm? Oh, I tried calling him a minute ago but he wasn’t answering.”

Now  _ that _ was odd. Carter had been the one to insist that each initiate of the Brooklyn House have a means of communication on them at all times for emergencies. Walt had fashioned some single use, telepathic charms for the younger mages while those of us old enough to know what a data plan was obtained cellphones. My brother  _ always _ kept his on; annoying Jimi Hendrix ringtone and everything.

“Anyways,” Walt was saying. “I just wanted to let you guys know that I’ve hit a dead end.” He sounded despondent. “I’ve looked through all of the books and scrolls in the library, but none of them mention anything about an Egyptian relic with similar powers to the Feather of Truth.”

Wonderful.

“Well, just… keep looking.” I said lamely, mentally smacking myself:  _ Great job Sadie- some top notch advice _ . “There’s gotta be something. We just need to find it.”

There was silence for a long moment on the other end. “You’re right.” Walt’s reply was a mix between grudging and hopeful. “Every problem has a solution, we just need to be creative enough to figure it out.”

“Exactly what I said.” I heard Walt laugh on the other end.

“You have a... unique way with words, Sadie.” He teased.

So maybe I wasn’t the public speaker Carter was (although, to be fair, my brother wasn’t the best at speeches either), but my cheeks still colored slightly at the barb. I suddenly remembered I was still supposed to be mad at him, and snapped, “Don’t you have an artefact to find, death boy?”

“Yes, yes. I’m going, I’m going. And Sadie-” He paused for a moment, the line silent. “Just… be careful.”

“Aren’t I always?”

Walt didn’t reply.

“Okay, fine, I kinda walked into that one. But we’re fine. Looks like Jakal boy was right: we  _ didn’t _ need you to come with us.”

As soon as the words left my mouth I winced. That was a bit harsh, even for me. But it wasn’t like I could just walk it back and say sorry, because I honestly wasn’t. Okay, maybe a little. Then again, Anubis could’ve at least given me a  _ reason _ why he didn’t want Walt joining in. Something other than ‘mixing magic is dangerous for us’ what did that even  _ mean? _

Oblivious to my inner monologue, I heard Walt sigh quietly over the line. “I’ll let you know if I find anything on my end.”

My heart twisted at the monotonous tone, and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. “Sounds good. Um… good luck.”

“Thanks.”

The call ended with a dull click. Great. Now I felt guilty. As I tucked the phone into my back pocket, I glanced at my watch. With a curse, I realized that there was only three minutes until Annabeth and I were supposed to reconvene at the checkout area; and I hadn’t even gotten through half of the isles. Quickening my pace, I practically ran down the rest of the rows, my gaze skipping over the items as I looked for anything with polkadots.

Nada. Other than a few clown costumes, nothing in the first nineteen rows contained anything involving brightly colored, and variously sized dots. By the time I got to the end of row nineteen, I was already two minutes late.

Annabeth was waiting for me at the front of the store, a rainbow colored bag in her hand as she sat on one of the benches inside the entrance. The demigod glanced up at my approach, a triumphant smile quickly morphing into one of concern as I came to a stop, still panting from my unplanned jog. While I caught my breath, Annabeth’s eyes scanned behind me, narrowed grey iris’ slowly investigating the store.

“What happened?” She muttered quietly, her free hand inching to the backpack she’d brought.

I frowned at the battle-ready stance. “I was late… Took too long in… one isle.” I explained between breaths, deciding to omit the part about my conversation with Walt. Better to relay the information one we were back on the ship with the others. “Had to run through the rest... of the rows. Why?” I asked. “What did you think… happened?”

The demigod blinked a few times, her posture relaxing slightly. “So you  _ weren’t  _ running from a monster?”

“What? No.” At this point I’d recovered enough to form coherent sentences without a break. “Trust me, you’d know if I was running from a monster. I assume you were successful?” I added, glancing meaningfully at the bag in her hand.

“Hm? Oh, yeah-” She hefted the rainbow eyesore up proudly. “One jumbo roll of polka dot Duct Tape as requested.”

“Excellent- let’s go before I contract that color seizure thing.”

Annabeth raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Epilepsy?”

“Sure, that.” I nodded as we walked out.

The sky had darkened considerably, street lamps beginning to flicker into existence. There was a big red bus parked at the curbside, bright white lettering announcing it as the ‘Gore Be Gone Blood Bus’ a small plastic sign advertising free movie tickets to any who donated. A woman with bushy hair was handing out fliers to passerby. Annabeth and I made our way towards the crosswalk, a thought crossing my mind as I glanced at my companion.

“How much time do you think we have before the boys get back?”

“That would depend on how long it would take them to find the book.” The demigod’s reply was instantaneous.

“Well…” I dragged out the word, trying to find an answer to her unasked question. “With London traffic, and assuming that they may have needed to plead their case-”  _ and assuming this Latoya person  _ doesn’t  _ want us dead _ . “I would guestimate at least an hour and a half? Maybe two?”

The demigod pursed her lips, contemplating for a minute and staring at her wristwatch. “So we have, roughly, another thirty minutes to an hour before they’ll get back to the Argo III. And we’re only a ten minute ride away. Meaning… basic math leaves us with an average of forty-ish minutes.”

“Just enough time for one more stop.”

Sensing the note of finality in my voice, the blond stopped just short of the painted white lines and tilted her head. “Where exactly did you have in mind?”

“My grandparents house.” I said, turning to face her, chin raised ever-so-slightly, daring her to argue with my request. Selfish? Perhaps. A childish demand? All right, yes. But then again, no one had accused me of being an adult recently. “If we’re facing doomsday, I want to see them at least one more time and-”

“Okay.”

I blinked. Now I was sure that something was wrong with the blond. I had been fully prepared to defend my case; bracing for an argument, or at least some form of dispute from the demigod. I’d expected her to point out some extenuating circumstance or say something about it not being part of the original plan. The  _ last _ thing I thought I would hear from Annabeth was a quick acceptance.

My eyes narrowed suspiciously. “That’s it? Just…  _ okay _ ?”

Annabeth bobbed her head up and down. “Yeah... okay.” After a moment regarding my unconvinced expression she sighed. “Look, believe it or not, I’m not a schedule-driven maniac. Sure, I prefer a flushed out plan as opposed to winging it. But I’m not some heartless monster who would say ‘no’ to visiting family. Besides,” The blond added with a smirk. “You pointed it out yourself, we have plenty of time and nothing pressing to accomplish.”

“So you  _ are _ just agreeing because it works into the schedule.” I deadpanned.

“Eh,” Annabeth shrugged as she started across the street. “Details.” She commented over her shoulder. With a scoff, I rolled my eyes. Pulling out my phone, I sent Carter a quick text that said ‘Stopping at Grans, c u soon’ before following the blond.

My foot had barely lifted off the ground when I was intercepted, a bright red flier being shoved under my nose. Replanting my foot on the surface, I looked up to see that the bushy haired woman now stood before me, a row of perfectly maintained pearly whites stretched into an impossibly wide grin.

“Good evening, young lady, my name is Yuu Reyale. I’m the core founder of the ‘Gore Be Gone’ blood bus service. We’re a nonprofit group looking to combat the global  _ iroas _ epidemic.” The precise, practiced words rolled off her tongue faster than a flying griffin. “Would you and your friend be interested in helping our cause? We’re offering two free movie tickets to all donors.”

Perhaps it was her slanted, acid green eyes. Or maybe it was her black, dreadlocked hair that still lifted in the wind despite its heavy volume. Whatever it was, all of my battle instincts were on edge as the woman smiled expectantly, awaiting my decision.

“Sorry, but we’re in a bit of a hurry-” I stammered, trying to push past her.

The woman moved easily between me and the crosswalk, still smiling. “Oh, it doesn’t take but a minute. And for such a heroic cause-”

“No thank you.” My tone was firm this time and I forced my way around her, only to have my heart leap into my throat as I felt a vice like grip snare onto my arm. I whirled, wincing as her manicured green nails bit into my skin. For half a second our gazes met, and I saw a flicker of confusion cross her eyes. Releasing my arm, Yuu Reyale merely placed the flier in my hand while giving me a quick once over. I thought I saw her pale lips scowling ever so slightly, but then she tilted her head with a that same plastered smile.

“Please give us a call if you ever change your mind.” She said, her tone of voice noticeably less insistent than before. The woman then turned on her heels to go flag down another pair exiting the store.

A chill ran down my spine, causing me to shudder. I had seen plenty of weird things before- a hippopotamus nurse, an albino crocodile, Carter trying to comb his hair- but that had made it into my top ten list of creepy encounters.

_ Suspicious of charities now, are we? _ A snide voice mocked in my head.  _ What’s next? Homeless shelters? By all means, be on the lookout for dangerous people fighting to end world hunger! _ I had to agree with my inner musings: I was being absolutely ridiculous. A small part of me felt justified for following my intuition, it had kept me alive  _ this _ far, and, considering the last few years of my life, I still wasn’t comfortable with just accepting things as they appeared. The larger part of me, however, berated my continued misgivings. Not  _ everything _ in the world is out to get us. Not  _ everyone _ is a power hungry maniac.

Take Annabeth, for example. Sure, the demigod was annoyingly unrelenting at times, but she didn’t hesitate when saving my life during the battle against the sphinx’s. She’d also made a snide comment after doing so, but that was a minor detail. On the whole, I was coming to realize that the blond, while stubborn, genuinely wanted to help. That realization left me with a strange mix of elation and reluctance.

_ Speaking of Annabeth _ , I turned to find that she’d nearly reached the taxi, apparently not having noticed my absence. Sparing a glance over my shoulder, I hurried to catch up with the demigod.

“What’s that?” Annabeth asked, glancing down as I drew level with her.

Confused, I followed her gaze and realized that I was still holding the blood bus flier. “Oh, the woman back there was handing them out.” I passed it over to the blond as we reached the cab.

“Where to, miss?”” The driver asked as we hopped in.

“Canary Wharf.” I stated, closing the door. With a nod, the cabbie began pulling out of the parking lot as Annabeth handed the pamphlet back to me. I had started to tuck the flier away when I saw the symbol. It was a stylized logo, like the ones you see at hospitals, with a snake wound around a vertical staff. Behind the rod was the faint outline of a set of wings, stretched out like the stick was about to take flight. Something looked different about it. A vague discrepancy that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Does that look wrong to you?” I asked my companion, showing her the symbol.

Annabeth glanced at the page. “Wrong how?”

“Doesn’t it usually have two snakes? Not one.” I explained while we were jostled along through London traffic.

Clarity washed over the blond's face, her eyes sparkling in the same manner Carter’s did whenever he was asked to explain the history of Egypt. “You’re thinking of Hermes’ staff, it’s a common misconception.” The demigod began. “Hermes staff- or as it’s officially known, Caduceus- is a winged staff with two snakes entwined around the central rod. It’s the astrological symbol of  _ commerce _ , not medicine. That would be symbolized by the Rod of Asclepius- correctly depicted here with only a single serpent wound around the cane.”

I looked at the blond for a long moment. “Did you inhale an encyclopedia as a child?”

The demigod snorted. “W-What?”

“Book of useless facts?” I pressed.

“ _ No _ , and there is no such thing as a useless fact. Why?”

I shrugged, leaning back against the grungy leather seat. “You just seem to _ know _ everything; from architecture, to multicolor strobe light disease, to random meanings and misconceptions about a snake staff.”

“Well I  _ am _ a daughter of Athena.” She replied, as if those six words explained everything. Unfortunately for me, they didn’t. Sensing my confusion, Annabeth elaborated. “Athena is the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. All of her children inherit her gift for tactics and a love of knowledge.”

“You mentioned being half god, half mortal before.” I recalled vaguely. “Are you saying this goddess and your dad…” I thought for a moment and revised my question. “You said ‘children’, does that mean you have siblings?” 

Annabeth chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yes and no. I have  _ half _ -siblings. You see, Athena is a virgin goddess, she was born by jumping out of the cracked skull of her father, Zeus-”

“Gross.” I pulled a face at the thought.

“Very.” The demigod agreed, before continuing to lecture, “and as such her children- me, in this case- were born in a similar manner. I didn’t emerge from my mother's cracked head, mind you,” Annabeth absolved hurriedly. “I was born from the thoughts of the goddess. As were my siblings, so, technically, we’re only related on our godly side of the family.”

I chuckled. “A literal brain child? Must’ve been nice to grow up with a goddess of wisdom as your mom- I bet you aced the SAT, didn’t you.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them. I’d pinched some kind of nerve with the demigod who’s soft grin vanished faster than a flash of lightning. Annabeth’s gaze slid from mine to stare at the grungy taxi floor and a silence stretched far longer than I deemed comfortable.

“Sorry,” I muttered, having the grace to look apologetic. The blonds reaction was a healthy reminder that even though she was my ally, we were still practically strangers.

Blinking, Annabeth looked over at me. “No- it’s okay. I just-” She took a deep breath, a wry grin crossing her lips. “Demigods godly parents are usually… too busy to spend time with their children. There was even a point in time that Zeus had forbid communication between the gods and their offspring. And my dad… well, let’s just say he wasn’t thrilled to have been ‘gifted’ a daughter by Athena.” She explained, using air quotes around the word ‘gifted’. “I ended up running away from home when I was six.”

“You-” I must’ve looked shocked because Annabeth hurried to cut me off.

“It wasn’t long before I ran into some other demigods.” She assured. “We made our way to Camp Half-Blood and Chiron- the camp director- took me in, trained me, taught me all about the Greek gods and monsters. I met other children of Athena, made friends- and enemies.” The blond added as an afterthought. “Essentially, I’d found my  _ real _ family.”

I felt my admiration for the demigod growing. Not only was she a brainiac like Carter, but the blond was a pretty decent fighter, too. Smart and strong, with no reliance on magic, either. Now I was learning that she’d been doing this since she was a toddler? Color me impressed.

There was only one thing nagging at the back of my mind. “So, your dad…” I hesitated, not sure how to word the rest of the question without offending the demigod. Luckily, Annabeth seemed to get where I was going and she smiled.

“We’re good now.” She said. “After the world nearly ended, I realized how stupid it was to hold a grudge with family; even if he hadn’t really been there for me all the time.”

I nodded; now  _ that _ I could relate to. After mom had died, my grandparents no longer trusted Dad. After six lawyers, two fistfights, and a near fatal attack with a spatula (don’t ask), they won the right to keep me with them in England. Dad and Carter began travelling the world while I stayed in London, having as normal of a life as I could. Dad sent postcards from time to time, and he and Carter were allowed to visit us twice a year. But it wasn’t the same. I used to resent him for it, for not being there: even though, deep down, I knew it wasn’t his fault.

“Yeah. The apocalypse tends to change your view on stuff like that.” I agreed, gazing out the window to watch the buildings and trees flash by.

Without looking, I could tell that my comment had brought Annabeth back from her respite. The blond was practically buzzing with unasked questions. After a moment, I heard her draw breath, mentally preparing myself for a barrage of inquiries.

But then she stopped. Silence overtook the back row of the cab as the demigod held her tongue. My initial reaction was one of gratitude, I wasn’t a fan of sharing my feelings with friends, let alone strangers. However, as we continued our trip, I found myself inadvertently wondering what Annabeth had wanted to ask me. My mind ran through a lengthy list of possible questions she had been meaning to ask; each one more outlandish and absurd than the next, until finally, I decided to end my mental deliberation by addressing the real issue.

“What?” I asked, my tone snapping more than I’d intended.

Annabeth’s head whipped up, a confused frown on her face at my sudden outburst. “What?”

“Don't parrot me.” I growled. “I asked you ‘what’ so don't say ‘what’ back, understand?”

The demigod blinked slowly. “...No.” She eventually replied. “What ‘what’ are you asking about. Or, to put it another way, why are you asking ‘what’?”

“You were going to ask me something.” I sighed.

“I was?”

“You were, I heard you draw breath to ask it.”

“I see…” Her brows scrunched together for a second. “What was I going to ask?”

I couldn’t decide if she was being annoyingly oblivious on purpose, or if she was genuinely unsure. “That’s what- if I may be allowed to use that word again- I was trying to find out.” I muttered between gritted teeth.

“Ah…” Annabeth nodded sagely. After a minute she shook her head. “I forget, what were we talking about?”

I raised my eyes skywards as we pulled into the neighborhood. “Nevermind.”

After providing the driver with a few more directions, we arrived. My grandparents, the Fausts, lived in a simple housing development near Canary Wharf, right on the west bank of the River Thames. A squat, narrow, one story building that could best be described as nondescript. The walnut hued paint job was worn with age, a neatly trimmed hedge running the length of the front lawn. It wasn’t much, but to me, it was home. We paid the cabbie- or, more accurately,  _ I _ paid the cabbie- before making our way through the gate.

As we neared the front door, Annabeth suddenly asked, “Are they magicians too?”

I looked back. “What?”

“Your grandparents,” The demigod reiterated, tactfully avoiding pointing out that we were getting into dangerous territory with that word again. “Are they magicians too?”

I gave a quick shake of my head. “No, but they’re aware of the existence of magic.”

Stepping up to the door, I gave the entrance three quick raps with my knuckles. Normally, I’d just let myself in, but, not knowing we would be making a London pitstop, I’d left my spare key back at the Brooklyn House. It only took a minute before I heard the shuffle of slippered feet and the rasp of the deadbolt retracting. The door swung open to reveal a frail and colorless woman, like a stick person really. Her curly silver hair made it look like she had styled it after a mop, and her watery blue eyes widened at the sight before her.

“Sadie?” The woman's voice cracked slightly, disbelief and joy intermixing on her face.

“Hey, Gran.” I smiled, not even embarrassed when she stepped in to give me a crushing hug. “Missed you too.”

“But how-” She stuttered, stepping back from the embrace. “It’s so good to see you! When did you get here? If I’d have known you were stopping by I would’ve cleaned up the place- Oh, but nevermind that, come in, come in. Dear, Sadie’s here!” She called towards the living room.

Annabeth followed me across the threshold, Gran shutting the door behind us and giving me an appraising once over. “Have you gotten thinner, dear? You look simply famished- I made a fresh batch of scones today, I’ll go fetch you some.”

“N-no, that’s okay, Gran.” I assured hurriedly, but she had already disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. I sighed, glancing behind me to see that Annabeth was busy looking around; her eyes lingering on every picture frame, every scratch in the wall, every detail unable to escape her scrutiny.

“Welcome home, Sadie.” I turned back at the gruff voice to see a man with beefy arms, a belly much too big for his shirt, and eyes sunk deep in his face- as if someone had punched them- making his way towards us. The man nodded towards Annabeth. “Who’s your friend?”

“Hi, Gramps. This is Annabeth,” I introduced, the demigod looking up from her surveillance at the mention of her name. “She’s a new initiate at the Brooklyn House.” I lied.

The demigod shot me a side glance but went along with it, holding out her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, sir.” Gramps huffed but took the offered appendage as Gran returned, carrying a small plate stacked with burnt biscuits and a teakettle.

“Something to drink, dear?” She offered sweetly. Annabeth eyed the blackened baked goods warily.

“We just ate, actually.” I fibbed again. “But some water would be nice.”

Gran smiled, moving back towards the kitchen while Gramps motioned for us to follow him to the living room. Before the demigod could take a step, I grabbed her arm. Annabeth raised an eyebrow in my direction. “I’m gonna grab something from my room real quick. Gran and Gramps aren’t huge fans of magic,” I explained quietly. “So just ask Gramps about rugby- he’ll talk your ear off but it’ll be less awkward.”

Annabeth nodded in understanding, walking into the living room while I turned and took the stairs two at a time.

My room was nothing posh, just an attic space with a window and a bed and a desk. I made my way over to foot of the bed, crouching down and sliding out the shoebox hidden underneath the frame. The box was my emergency stash of magical wares; just a precaution I’d installed in case I came home to find my grandparents possessed by unfriendly gods again. After rummaging through the various scrolls and amulets I found what I was looking for.

Mom’s curved ivory wand looked more like a boomerang than a magic tool. Some of the symbols etched into it’s side had faded through the years, worn down by useage. Contrastingly, it’s magic could not have burned stronger. As soon as I grasped the item I felt a shock of power run across my body.

One of the tricks I’d learned from Walt was how to store energy in inanimate objects. While Walt specialized in  _ creating _ new magical charms, I was only able to work with objects that had already been imbued with magical properties. Over time, I had learned to store a portion of my magical energies within Mom’s wand, allowing the tool’s magic to build up within the object.

And what with our current situation and all, I decided it couldn’t hurt to have the equivalent of a magical Red Bull on hand.

After I tucked the wand into my belt, my eyes wandered across the room and fixed on my desk.  _ No _ , I thought.  _ Not going to do it. _ But as it always did, my resolve crumbled and I walked over, opening the top drawer. I shoved aside a few old magazines, my stash of sweets, a stack of math homework I’d forgotten to hand in, and a few pictures of me and my mates Liz and Emma trying on ridiculous hats in Camden Market. And there at the bottom of it all, was the picture of Mom

Gran and Gramps have loads of pictures. They keep a shrine to Ruby in the hall cupboard—Mom’s childhood artwork, her O-level results, her graduation picture from university, her favorite jewelry. It’s quite mental. I was determined not to be like them, living in the past.

But I did keep the one picture. It was of Mom and me at our old house in Los Angeles, just after I was born. She stood out on the balcony, the Pacific Ocean behind her, holding a wrinkled pudgy lump of baby that would some day grow up to be yours truly. Baby me was not much to look at, but Mom was gorgeous, even in shorts and a tattered T-shirt. Her eyes were deep blue. Her blond hair was clipped back. Her skin was perfect. Quite depressing compared to mine. People always say I look like her, but I couldn’t even get the spot off my chin, much less look so mature and beautiful (Stop smirking, Carter).

The photo fascinated me because I hardly remembered our lives together at all. But the main reason I’d kept the photo was because of the symbol on Mom’s T-shirt: an ankh. My dead mother wearing the symbol for life. Nothing could’ve been sadder. But she smiled at the camera as if she knew a secret. As if my dad and she were sharing a private joke.

Of course, now my brother and I were in on that joke.

At the thought of Carter, I pulled out my phone again, quickly dialing his number. Even as I raised the device to my ear I could hear the droning sound of a dead line. Frowning, I closed out the call, staring dully at the device for a long moment. The faint seed of worry that had been planted after my conversation with Walt began to bloom into genuine concern.

_ Why would Carter have his phone off? _ Knowing my brother, it couldn’t be anything good.

After a moment of hesitation, I grabbed the photo of mom, slipping it into my jacket pocket before making my way downstairs. My sense of dread only increased as I overheard the topic of conversation being discussed in the living room.

“-and that was during Sadie’s second grade school play.” My grandmother said as she handed the blond a framed photo.

“ _ Gran! _ ” I admonished, snaking forwards to snatch the picture away from Annabeth. But the damage had been done.

The demigod snickered. “Sadie, you were so cute! What happened?” She teased.

I shot her one of my signature glares as I put the photo back in it’s place on the mantle. Said image depicted me standing on the cafeteria mini-stage during the elementary school's production of ‘ _ The Wizard of Oz _ ’, mouth wide open as the whole class sang ‘ _ Somewhere over the rainbow _ ’. Mini me was acting out the part of the tin man, costume complete with a silver painted cardboard chestplate, an overturned metal funnel on my head, and a big red paper heart taped over where my real one was. I was covered in silver finger paint, most of which had faded or been wiped off at some point during the show.

“I don’t know what you mean.” I replied, refusing to look as mortified as I felt. “As far as I’m concerned I am  _ still _ adorable.”

Annabeth’s chortle burst into a full blown laugh, my grandparents quickly joining in. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t maintain my annoyed facade, eventually joining in. For a few seconds, I felt myself relax. Allowing the gravity of our current situation to fade into the background as the room rang with laughter. For a few seconds, I felt like a kid again. Complete with good friends and overly embarrassing grandparents.

The demigods next words brought me back to reality.

“So are there any funny pictures of Carter?” She asked with a devilish grin.

The mood shift was instantaneous. Faster than I could blink, my grandparents stopped laughing. Gramps face twisted in a scowl and Gran’s eyes narrowed, her lips turning downwards at the edges. Annabeth was baffled by the sudden shift, her lone chuckle dying out awkwardly. The grin was still on her face even as her brow crinkled in confusion.

I muttered an Egyptian curse- of the cussing variety, not the magic kind- and stepped between my grandparents and the demigod.

“Well would you look at the time?” My voice sounded much too loud, even in the sullen silence. “Gran, Gramps, it was great seeing you again. I wish we could stay longer but Annabeth and I have a flying boat to catch.” My words broke the tense atmosphere, Gran and Gramps giving me sad smiles as I hugged them each one more time.

“Do be careful, sweetheart.” Gran mumbled as she reciprocated the embrace.

“Aren’t I always?”

Gran just laughed.

After a short lecture from Gramps about staying in touch more often, a small paper bag filled with Grans burnt scones being shoved into my hands, and a half dozen ‘last time’ hugs, Annabeth and I found ourselves strolling towards the nearest entrance to the London underground. The demigod hadn’t spoken a word since the picture incident, and I was in no hurry to bring up the complex topic of how Gran and Gramps didn’t really like Carter because he reminded them of Dad and blah blah blah. But there was one concern that I  _ did _ voice during our walk.

“I think Carter’s in trouble.” I said, knowing the words would invoke a reaction from the demigod. If I thought Carter was in trouble, and her boyfriend was  _ with _ my brother, then by the transitive property I thought her boyfriend was in trouble too.

As I expected, the comment snapped Annabeth back to the present as she looked at me sharply. “Why do you think that?” She sounded a bit perturbed by my calm deliverance of the realization.

“He’s not answering his phone.” I replied, “I tried texting him, Walt tried calling him,  _ I _ tried calling him- It wouldn’t even let me leave a voicemail.”

Annabeth had paled noticeably. “We need to get back to the Argo now.” She urged, picking up the pace so that I was nearly jogging to keep up.

“Whoa- slow down,” Have I mentioned that I’m not a fan of running? “I know you’re worried about Percy, but-”

“It’s not them I’m worried about.” The blond interrupted, her hand straying towards her backpack again. “Cell phones are like a homing beacon for Greek monsters. If you’ve been using yours all day, then-” Her words cut off abruptly as we rounded the corner.

I soon saw why.

You know those scary movie scenes, where the killer is standing underneath the sole street lamppost in the dead of night? I swear, all of those clips would’ve been a hundred times creepier if only they’d added a big red blood bus behind the bad guy. Sure, you laugh, but the sight was seriously giving me the heebie-jeebies. The Canary Wharf entrance to the subway system was right behind the vehicle, a mere street crossing away, but our path was blocked by a sole woman with dreadlocked hair. It didn’t help the creep factor to see that Yuu Reyale was staring directly at us, as if she’d known we were coming. She grinned, displaying her pearly white… fangs? Okay, those  _ definitely  _ hadn’t been there before.

“Please tell me they don’t have vampires in Greek mythology.” I muttered to Annabeth.

“The concept of vampires originated in European folklore.” The demigod assured, having taken out her copper colored dagger. Her eyes shifted to read the white lettering on the bus. “Gore be Gone… Gore… Gone…” Annabeth cursed. “Gorgon. How did I miss that?”

“What’s a gorgon?” Before the demigod could answer my question, Yuu Reyale had come to realize that we were in no hurry to cross the one way street.

Her smile fell into a snarl as she spoke, her voice much more sinister than before. “Annabeth Chase.” She hissed, lingering on the ‘s’ sound longer than normal. “I must be favored by the fates to have been delivered my sister’s killer.”

“Sister?” Annabeth’s eyes widened in understanding. “You’re Euryale! Medusa’s sister.”

“You killed the snake lady?” My eyes darted between the two Greek entities.

“It was a long time ago.”

I vaguely remembered that Medusa was a half-snake monster, and as I looked, I saw that Yuu Reyale’s form was distorted and hazy. The fog seemed to clear from my mind and I saw the monster as she truly was; dreadlocks becoming a writhing mass of miniature serpents, nails lengthening into claws, her lower half melding into a scaly green torso that curled around the lamppost.

“Yessss.” Euryale snarled. “And now you shall suffer as she did.”

Raising a clawed hand towards the blood bus, I felt a magical tremor rip through the air as the emergency doors burst open. Slithering out of the confines was an impossibly huge snake; not as big as Apophis, but much too big to have fit in the vehicle. Some insignificant section of my mind rationalized that Euryale had probably manipulated the space inside the bus to be bigger than it appeared on the outside. But the greater portion of my mind was a bit preoccupied with the fact that there was a  _ giant snake coming out of the back of a bus _ .

Because, y’know, priorities.

As if a monstrous snake wasn’t terrifying enough, two large, feathered wings unfurled from its side once it had cleared the doors. The rainbow-colored feathers shimmered in the low light, the reptile blinking twice before it’s diamond head turned in our direction. A forked tongue flicked between its lips and it hissed at us, razor sharp fangs unfolding from it’s jawline.

“What in Horus is that thing!” I yelped.

“An  _ Ophies Pterotoi _ . It means-”

“Lemme guess, Greek for  _ giant bloody snake with wings _ ?” Unfortunately, our conversation ended there as Euryale pointed towards us. Following the unspoken command, the  _ Pterotoi _ lunged- incredibly fast for a giant monster. Annabeth and I sprinting in opposite directions as it’s mouth snapped closed in the space where we had just stood.

“ _ Heqat _ .” I cried, holding out my hand as the rod materialized into existence. Now armed with my staff, I felt my confidence surge. After all, I’d fought bigger snakes. Extending to staff towards the creature, I channeled a burst of magic and yelled, “ _ Sa-Mir _ !” The bright golden hieroglyph for  _ pain _ blazed into existence above the snake’s snout. I smiled as I awaited the tortured scream (hiss?) of agony to be ripped from the beast. 

The snake sneezed. Shaking it’s head as if to rid a stubborn fly, the serpent glared at me. It’s colorful wings rippled in annoyance.

Oops.

I barely managed to avoid the next attack by the  _ Pterotoi _ , rolling underneath it’s coils as it tried to swallow me again. As I stood up, I missed it’s follow up strike, the air forcefully ripped from my lungs as it’s tail smacked me to the curb. If you’ve never been hit by the backside of a very large winged snake, allow me to inform you that it is not a pleasant feeling. I felt as if I’d been backhanded by a truck, my body going airborne for a solid three seconds before I crashed into the asphalt, rolling to a painful stop.

I groaned, barely hearing Annabeth call my name through the haze of ‘Ow’ overtaking my senses. Drawing in a shuddering breath, I looked up to see that the demigod had somehow managed to jump on the  _ Pterotoi’s _ back, having plunged her dagger through the snake scales. Amazingly, I was able to drag myself upright, stumbling a bit as the world spun dangerously. I glanced around, seeing my rod lying a few feet away near the bag of scones. Taking two shaky steps towards the weapon, I felt something whip my feet out from under me, reuniting my face with the sidewalk.

“Really now,” Euryale hissed, sounding slightly disappointed. Her lower snake half wound itself around my legs, pinning them together. “Where is all that power I felt from you earlier?”

I desperately made a grab for my staff as the snake lady yanked me towards her. I felt my hand  _ just _ miss the object as the gorgon brought me within striking distance, lifting me up so that we were face to face. Only, my face was upside down in comparison. Her eyes narrowed as she studied me up close. Her hair hissed, a few of the snakes flitting their tongues out in my direction.

Behind me, I heard Annabeth struggling to fend off the  _ Pterotoi _ . The demigod seemed to be having better success than me at the moment. Though, for how much longer I couldn’t say.

“You’re not a demigod.” Euryale mused. “What  _ are  _ you?”

As if I would waste time to answer. I placed the palm of my hand against the scaled wrapped around my legs and commanded, “ _ A’max _ !” The area beneath my palm glowed a deep red as the spell activated. But once again my expectation was subverted as the monster smiled instead of screaming in pain. I was starting to get frustrated by their apparent immunity to magic.

“That tickles.” She taunted, before striking me across the face. Her claws left deep, stinging grooves, blood slowly seeping from the wound. Euryale’s own forked tongue licked up the trail of red, her eyes drifting as she muttered, “No… not Greek…”

Seeing as my spells weren’t doing any real damage, I tried a different approach. “ _ I-ei _ !” I cried. Come. But instead of the magical staff flying into my awaiting grasp, the bag of Grans scones shot into my hand. Just my luck. But it would have to do. I swung the brown paper bag as hard as I could at the gorgon's face.

Apparently, the Greek monster wasn’t immune to burnt scones, the bag ripping on impact as the baked goods spilled out. My attack was enough to shock Euryale into loosening her hold on my legs enough for gravity to actually be helpful for once. I tumbled to the ground, sprinting over to my staff while the snake lady shook off her surprise.

I spared a glance over at Annabeth who caught my eye as she danced around the giant snake’s tail. She gestured towards the entrance to the subway and, amazingly, I understood; the entrance to the London underground was too narrow for the giant snake to fit in. If we got to the entrance, we’d be scott free.

_ If _ we got to the entrance. And currently, that was a big ‘if’. The gorgon hissed angrily, turning to face me. I should’ve been terrified, but I was finding it harder not to laugh as a few of her hair snakes began fighting over one of the scones.

“You dare assault me with baked goods!” The gorgon screeched.

“More like burned goods.” I shrugged, taking a step back as she slithered slowly towards me. My head was still spinning from earlier, my brain scrambling to find a way to detain the Greek monster long enough to get past her. But if my magic couldn’t affect her, then- I stopped backing up as I got an idea. A terrible,  _ horrible _ idea. But at this point, I was willing to try anything.

Lowering my staff, I closed my eyes and concentrated, pulling on the flow of magic.

“Accepting your demise?” Euryale hissed triumphantly, “Smart girl.”

I heard her getting closer, but I forced myself to ignore the monster. Grasping my amulet, I tapped into the power of Isis. I looked up, seeing that Euryale was a mere three feet away. Taking a deep breath, I stepped towards the gorgon, pushing aside the layers of the Duat and walking through the monster. Well, not exactly  _ through _ , but rather, on a different  _ plane _ than the creature.

Euryale’s shocked face turned to outrage as she turned her head from side to side. To her, it probably seemed like I’d vanished into thin air. “What trickery is this?” She growled.

I kept moving, feeling as if I was fighting against the current of a raging river with each step. Sweat dripped into my eyes as I focused on maintaining my material form. I knew that if I let my concentration slip, my essence would be ripped apart by the magical force surrounding me.

After what felt like an eternity, I found myself next to the London underground entrance. With one final step I emerged back into the mortal realm, releasing my amulet and my concentration. Exhaustion swept over me and black spots dotted across my vision.

With the last vestiges of willpower I had, I raised my eyes to find Annabeth dashing towards me, the blond having lost her dagger and sustained numerous scapes in her fight with the giant snake. The  _ Pterotoi _ wasn’t far behind, it’s movements disjointed as if it was having a hard time pinpointing our location. It’s wings fluttered angrily and as it turned it’s head, I realized that the demigod had miraculously stabbed the creature’s right eye, the hilt of her knife still protruding from the socket.

“Move!” The demigod yelled at me, her voice sounding a long ways off. “Let’s go!”

My last thought as I plunged into the subway after Annabeth?  _ All this for some bloody duct tape _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> More action- woohoo! And there will be some fight scenes coming up in the next few chapters if that's your jam :)
> 
> As always, you comments give me life! Almost literally, minus the 'alomst'. Feel free to drop me a thought or review or critique down below and have a wonderful Sunday evening!
> 
> <3
> 
> p.s. Did I blatantly plagiarize a conversation from 'Rangers Apprentice: The Icebound Land' in this chapter? Yes. Yes I did. Am I sorry for doing so? No. No I am not.


	13. Kindred Spirits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo wakes up after getting ample sleep (in his opinion), Percy asks some questions, Carter gives some answers- and avoids answering others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I was in the middle of editing the chapter and posting when the debate came on- and after that fiasco I was exhausted and completely forgot to post. Anyway- we're almost done with the London segment of our journey (yay and awww...).
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Leo POV)**

Over the years, Leo had found he enjoyed the simple things in life: successfully pranking the school bully, taco tuesday, funny colored supplies, sleeping in a bed, and- arguably his favorite- not waking up to the sounds of his ship being ripped to shreds. It was all about the small victories, in his mind.

Despite Annabeth’s insistence of sleep, Leo made sure to activate the backup alarm system before he complied with her request. He’d learned from a previous encounter with Eidolons that Greek monsters had this annoying tendency to just invite themselves onboard. And Leo was in no rush to repeat that mistake. Only once he was satisfied that the secondary safety precaution was functioning properly did the mechanic stumble down to the engine room and crash on the pullout cot; not even bothering to clear off the tools that had accumulated on the bed. It felt as if he had slept for an age before the clacking and clicking of the silent alarm dragged him from his rest.

Leo swung his legs over the side of the cot, quickly pulling up an image of the upper deck with ABE: the gauntlet projecting the view of the security camera up on the far wall. His hand hovered over the activation switch for the Argo’s emergency defenses, only relaxing once he saw the slightly blurred image of Carter and Percy walking across the main deck.

With a yawn, the mechanic rubbed the sleep from his eyes, glancing at his wristwatch: nearly two whole hours of sleep- not bad! Standing with a stretch, Leo quickly shut down the alarm, making his way towards the upper levels. He found them in the mess hall, Carter looking like he’d just waded through a bog; his curly hair was now plastered to his forehead, and his sopping wet clothes were slowly creating small puddles on the floor. Percy was dry, at least, not that it stopped him from smelling like a wet dog that had rolled through the mud. The other demigod had propped his feet up on the table, head resting against his hand while Carter carefully sorted through the soaked contents of his bag, laying out rolls of parchment to dry and wiping off some magicians tools.

“Feet off the table, Aquaman.”

Percy’s head lifted as he turned to look at Leo in surprise, “I thought you were supposed to be sleeping?”

“And I thought you were supposed to wake me up when you got back.” Came Leo’s retort, “But, then again, we all know what happens when one assumes. So spill, why does it look like you two have been wrestling alligators in the Hudson river?”

“It’s lakewater.” Carter informed as the mechanic settled himself into one of the empty chairs.

“Still smells like a bog. Hey, where are the girls?” Leo asked.

“Shopping for your supplies.” Percy answered, before going on to explain how they’d checked on the Needle before splitting up. Leo listened as his fellow demigod described their short sleuthing mission at the Shard, and recounted their not-so-welcoming welcome party upon arriving at the Nome. The Son of Poseidon continued with a short descriptor of the confrontation, Carter chiming in here and there with tidbits of information regarding the different specialties of each magician. Apparently they’d both gotten encased in water by an elementalist, and Percy wasn’t terribly eager to explain how awkward the taxi ride back had been.

“What I  _ don’t _ get,” Percy concluded, “Is that even though they knew about Hathor, they still refused to give us the book.” The demigod looked over at the magician, clearly directing the statement at the younger kid.

“Well, Sadie and I... “ The magician took a deep breath, obviously choosing his next words with care. “We’re not exactly on good terms with the majority of the other Nomes.”

“ _ Really _ ? I couldn’t tell.” Percy said sarcastically. “What I meant was  _ why _ .”

Carter averted his eyes, having an internal debate.

“Look, I get that you want to keep some things secret, but-”

“It’s not that,” The magician assured hastily, cutting off the son of Poseidon. “The answer is just-”

“Complicated?” Leo guessed.

Carter chuckled halfheartedly. “Extremely.”

The magician fell silent again. After a moment he came to some kind of decision and looked each of the demigods in the eye. “The short answer,” he began, “Is that most of the other nomes blame us for the rise of Apophis- a monster of Chaos who wanted to destroy the world.”

“Destroy- like, literally? Not rule or take over?” Leo interrupted with surprise. Gaea had looked at the world as something to conquer, an object to own. She didn’t like the humans ‘infesting’ it and therefore wanted to destroy the human inhabitants, but not the world itself. 

However, Carter nodded in confirmation.

“Destroy. Abolish. Raize,” he glanced at Percy, “with a ‘z’. He nearly succeeded, too.” At this point the young teen had slumped back in his chair, looking exhausted just remembering the experience. He rubbed a hand down his face before recounting the story.

“We had three days, almost no help from the gods or other nomes, and one chance to stop him with a spell that we didn’t even know would work. And, in keeping with the norm for us- Sadie and I nearly died a good half dozen times. Walt  _ did _ die, technically…” The magician paused, thinking. “But then he became the host of Anubis which kinda countered his hereditary curse and means he now shares his body with the god of death so...” Carter frowned and scratched the back of his head. “Like you said, complicated.”

“Sounds like a good campfire story, though.” Leo mumbled, glad when his statement pulled a wry smile from the younger kid.

Percy pinched the bridge of his nose. “So, relevant bullet points?” 

“As to why the other Nomes aren’t jumping at the chance to help us- aside from the fact that they’re jerks?” Carter shrugged, eyes downcast once more. “Even though we did save the world there were... casualties. Apophis’ rise was indirectly hastened by the actions of our parents- although he would’ve escaped sooner or later.” The magician added defensively. “The Nomes never really forgave our family for that. Dad was exiled from  _ Per Ankh _ and forbidden from using his magic- not that he listened, of course. And the kind of magic Sadie and I use…” Carter hesitated, having another mental argument before eventually concluding, “Let’s just say it’s not the most popular.”

“Like Miley Cyrus level unpopular or Justin Beiber level unpopular?” Leo asked.

Percy rolled his eyes but remained focused on the topic at hand. “The magic you use- Latoya called it the ‘Path of the Gods’ or something, right?”

“There are several fields of study within the House of Life.” Carter said after a moment. “Elementalist, diviner, animal charmer, necromancer, healer, charm maker, and combat magician, to name a few. I specialize in combat magic-”

“Giant blue chicken.” Leo recalled with a grin.

“-and Sadie’s strong suit is the use of divine words.”

“So what does that have to do with the Path of the Gods?” Percy asked.

“I was getting to that.” Carter sighed, running a hand through his hair as he shifted in his seat. “Do you want the short answer, or the long answer?”

“Short.” The two demigods answered in unison.

“The Path of the Gods is the very origin of Egyptian magic itself.” Carter explained. “In ancient times, the only way to perform feats of magic was by calling upon the aid of the gods. However, it was dangerous, as the gods could easily overwhelm a weak host and possess them. The previous, commander, thought that the gods were too dangerous to work with, fearing that they had hidden agendas. And so,” the magician concluded, “for the past two thousand years, it’s been the only domain of magic whose practice was expressly forbidden.”

A short bark of laughter escaped Leo’s mouth before he could stop it. “What?” He said at the look the others gave him. “I just think it’s funny how the Egyptians banned their gods while for the Greeks, the gods kind of banned us. You can’t tell me you don’t see the situational irony there.”

Percy still didn’t seem convinced by Carter’s claim, his brow furrowed in a rare look of serious concentration. “That doesn’t really make sense.” The demigod tapped his fingers on the table. “Why forbid something on such shaky logic. That’s like saying you shouldn’t ever eat broccoli because you  _ might _ be allergic to it.”

“To be fair, no one in their right mind would  _ want _ to eat broccoli.” Leo pointed out.

“What I’m getting at,” Percy grumbled, “is that it seems like a drastic measure for such a small possibility. There’s got to be some other reason why the practice was outlawed.” He narrowed his eyes at the magician who shifted uncomfortably under the stare.

“Is there something you’re not telling us?” Percy stated bluntly after a length of silence.

A look flashed across Carter’s face, a look Leo knew well. It was the same look he’d had back when he wasn’t sure whether or not to tell Jason and Piper about his freak, fire powers. It was the look of someone who was uncertain of what the outcome of their words would be.

Once it became clear that Carter was not going to offer any insight on the matter, Leo held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I get it; we’ve all got our secrets. Me, for instance. I’m tragically funny and good-looking.”

Percy frowned at his fellow demigod, clearly annoyed at his attempt to change the subject. “Leo-”

“Look, Percy,” The Son of Hephaestus had dropped his joking manner. “I doubt Houdini here was around two thousand years ago when they enacted the law. How is he supposed to know what the crazy old codgers were thinking? What we should focus on is what we should be doing now that we’ve actually got this Book of the Dead.”

Percy held Leo’s gaze in a way that promised a further discussion of the previous matter, but eventually, the other demigod nodded. “Fair point. I don’t suppose there’s a table of contents that can just tell us where to look to find this spell?” He asked, directing the question to Carter.

“Unfortunately no, and Sadie was the one who read it last time so I’ve no idea where to look.” The magician said.

“So we’ll just have to wait for the girls to come back.” Leo shrugged, “In the meantime, I’d better head topside and get started on repairs.”

“I thought you’d fixed the mast?” Percy frowned.

“The mast is fine- no thanks to our winged kitty cats,” Leo grumbled. “But I’m almost ninety-seven percent sure there's some major systems damage. I’ll run a quick diagnostic report to see what still needs work. In the meantime, why don’t you guys hit the showers- no offense or anything, but I’ve been in sewers that smell better than you two.”

Percy frowned and took an exaggerated sniff of his shirt. “It’s not  _ that _ bad.” He protested.

“By your standards or by Annabeths?”

Silence.

“Exactly. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Leo stood, “I’ve got a ship to fix.”

And with that, the mechanic made his way up to the top deck, heading towards the front of the Argo III. Leo’s smile slowly fell with every step he took towards the bow. He came to a halt just behind the masthead, his heart clenching as it always did at the sight of the motionless metal dragon.

The mechanic’s thoughts flashed back to that last battle. The final explosion in the fight against Gaea had effectively mangled Festus’ animatronics body. Leo had barely managed to salvage the dragon’s head, and even that had been a close run thing. The main circuitry had been fried, wiring melted to the inner core, panels damaged beyond repair. Even his own cabin mates had gazed upon the pile of scrap metal with the solemn acceptance that the damage was too extensive; irreparable.

That’s not to say the son of Hephaestus hadn’t tried. Leo had done everything; replaced the panels, rewired the inner core, fashioned a new motherboard from scratch. Leo had double and triple checked all of the components, finding no flaws in any of the systems. All of the proper maintenance had been done, and yet the dragons red polycarbonate eyes still wouldn’t turn on. His half-siblings said it was fruitless, telling him that Festus would never fly again.

Leo refused to believe them. He couldn’t allow himself to think that way. He’d spent weeks, tirelessly working on the broken dragon, yet even his own determination wavered with each failed attempt to power up the animatronic. It was almost as if the damage had gone deeper than the machinery; as if Festus had been broken one too many times and now he simply refused to come back to life.

Back in the present, Leo placed his palm against the cool metal, feeling the thrum of the Argo III’s gears and mechanics beneath his hand. The whole ship was alive with the whirring of each interconnected part. Closing his eyes, he made his way deeper into the ship’s systems, sensing disconnected lines and corroded parts, minor damages and major alterations that would need to be addressed sooner than later. 

Over the next few minutes, the mechanic made a mental list of which components he would work on first and eventually nodded, satisfied with his diagnosis. Leo opened his eyes and turned only to see his doppleganger staring at him quizzically. Carter was leaning against the starboard rail, looking notably refreshed after a shower and a change of clothes.

The mechanic smiled. “Whas’sup?”

“Percy said he was gonna keep a look out for the girls.” The magician explained, “I didn’t want to just sit in the mess hall twiddling my thumbs, and you’d said you were gonna run some kind of ship examination so…” Carter shrugged. “I was going to ask if it would be okay for me to tag along, maybe get a quick tour of the inner workings of the ship?”

Leo was surprised. Aside from his half-siblings, few demigods were actually interested in his projects, let alone how they worked. “Uh… yeah, sure. Fair warning though, repair work can be pretty boring to watch.”

“I’ll do my best not to fall asleep.” Carter promised with a smile. “I didn’t mean to interrupt earlier,” He apologized as they made their way down to the engine room, “Were you… praying or something?”

Leo looked at Carter from the corner of his eye. “No. I was running a system analysis.”

“Oh.” Carter blinked a few times, then followed up with, “How? I’m no technician, but don’t you need some fancy equipment to do something like that?”

“That’s like asking a child of Hermes how they open locks without lockpicks.” Leo snorted, but at Carter’s expression of incomprehension he said, “I’m a son of Hephaestus, remember?”

“The hammer and anvil god?”

“Close: god of the forge.” Leo corrected. “Although hammer and anvil  _ does _ have a sort of godly ring to it. More of an ‘I will smite you’ tone.”

“So do all Greek demigods retain an ability from their godly heritage?”

“Far as I can tell, yeah,” Leo shrugged as they traversed the lower deck. “Kinda comes with the whole ‘standard demigod’ package. You also get the ADHD, the dyslexia, and the crazy monsters that continuously try to kill you.”

“What if I wanted to upgrade to a deluxe demigod kit?”

Leo raised an eyebrow at the magician, seeing a smirk tugging at the corner of Carter’s lips. The mechanic felt himself reciprocating the expression, it was rare to find someone other than the Stoll brothers who willingly encouraged his jokes.

Continuing the analogy in his best salesman tone, Leo said, “Well with the deluxe upgrade you get your choice of either an uncertain death at the hands of destiny or a tragically heroic demise.”

“Hmm…” Carter appeared to seriously consider the offer, although his widespread grin sort of defeated the look. “I think I’ll take a pass on that.”

“But- if you want the  _ premium _ demigod kit, we’ll throw in the slim potential of survival with your choice of doomsday quests.”

Carter couldn’t contain his laughter any longer, sides heaving as his chuckles rippled off of the metal walls and bounced around the room. The laugh was infectious and Leo found himself joining in. A small part of him relished in the moment, realizing how few and far between such occurrences were. The mechanic couldn’t really recall the last time he’d simply enjoyed the company of a friend. Usually he was too busy working in the bunker, and even when he did find the time to hang out with the other demigods they all seemed to only tolerate his presence.

“The last time I laughed this hard was because Sadie had accidentally transfigured her nose into a duckbill.” Carter said as he held his side.

“The last time I laughed this hard I shot flames out my nose.”

The comment sent the boys into another round of unmanly giggles that continued until they’d reached their destination. Leo recovered first, stepping forwards to open the door to the engine room. After a moment, Carter regained his breath as well, only to lose it as he stepped inside after the repair boy.

“Wow…” He breathed.

Fixed to the keel, the engine apparatus looked like a high-tech jungle gym made from pipes, pistons, bronze gears, magical disks, steam vents, electric wires, and a million other magical and mechanical pieces. At the center was the combustion chamber.

It was a thing of beauty, a bronze sphere the size of a basketball, it’s surface bristling with glass cylinders so that it looked like a mechanical starburst. Gold wires ran from the ends of the cylinders, connecting to other various parts of the engine.

Each container was filled with a different magical and highly dangerous substance; Lemnos fire from Hephaestus’ forge, water from the River Styx, Mountain Dew, and a few homebrew substances that Leo had been experimenting with in the past few months.

The syncopator- a multi-access, gyro-valve that regulated the mixture flow- was actually a spare he had constructed for the Argo II way back when.

“Welcome to my home away from places that aren’t my home.” Leo announced.

Carter took it all in, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as his gaze jumped from one piece of machinery to the next. The magician crouched down to inspect the engine up close. “You… did you build this all yourself?”

“Mostly,” Leo shrugged, scratching the back of his head. “I had some help with the body of the ship but we had to draw up the blueprints from scratch and the designs are original- well,  _ mostly _ original,” the mechanic amended his statement. “The overall design was based off of a crayon drawing I made as a toddler. But as you may imagine, toddler me didn’t take into account stuff life logistics and physics and gravity.”

The magician shot him an incredulous look, opening his mouth as if he was going to ask for the story but then deciding against it, settling for a shake of his head. “That’s… amazing! Not only did you design her, but you built, maintain,  _ and _ repair her?”

“I can also fly her.” Leo reminded, smiling at the kid’s infectious attitude.

“Is there anything you can’t do?” The magician asked with just a hint of sarcasm.

The demigod pretended to seriously consider the question for a few seconds, then he shook his head. “Nope. I’m just awesome like that.”

Carter laughed, casting his eyes around the room again as Leo moved to begin working on repairs. For a good ten minutes, the magician silently observed the space, inspecting everything with an avid curiosity as he traced connected gears and followed the routes of tubes and wires that were webbed along the walls.

Then he started asking questions, the mechanic glancing up and providing the answer before resuming his work. Surprisingly, Leo didn’t mind the distraction. None of the repairs were terribly difficult and the demigod found himself enjoying the magicians genuine interest in the complexities of the ship.

“What’s this?”

“That’s the inner system solenoid valve. It allows me to control fuel flow between the different core systems.”

“What’s that?”

“Hydraulic actuator. That particular one controls the starboard stabilizers- the oars.”

“The oars are stabilizers?”

“Yup. They serve a similar function to that of a tail rudder of an aircraft. Helps control the yaw- directional steering.”

“What are those?”

“Fuel pumps. They connect to the outer cylinders through those hoses.”

“Cool. Oh- What’s that complex-looking thing over there?”

“... That’s my bed.”

Carter’s next question died on his lips as he did a double take, peering closer at the fold down cot littered with small scraps and various tools. The canvas sagged in the middle from the weight, practically resting on the carbon fiber support struts. “You call that a bed? It looks like a makeshift dumpster.”

Leo glared at the magician. Okay, so maybe his cot was a  _ little _ messy.

“So what are you working on now?” Carter asked, crouching down besides the demigod.

Leo shifted slightly so that the magician could see. Below his hands were a series of interlaced tubes, held together by some bolts, a bit of safety wire, and the occasional splice of duct tape. “These are the artificial feel lines,” The mechanic explained as he worked. “Essentially, how the control panel’s signal connects with the rudder.”

“What’s wrong with them? They don’t look broken.”

“They got knocked loose during the battle yesterday.” Leo explained as he pulled out a torque wrench from his toolbelt. “That’s why the ship's response was delayed during our unplanned, interactive close-up tour of Big Ben earlier. When the lines are too loose it takes more effort to turn, too tight and the ship could turn with the barest touch.”

Carter nodded thoughtfully. “Like a computer mouse’s sensitivity?”

“Except on a much bigger scale.” Leo nodded.

Curiosity sated for the time being, the magician settled on the cold floor, aptly attentive as he watched the demigod work. Leo’s hands moved with deft precision, adjusting the various components as needed and refastening the lines once he was satisfied.

Standing with a quick stretch, the mechanic made his way across the room, eyes narrowing on his next project. One of the copper tubes that pumped oil to the radiator had detached, snapped off at the joint. Leo was pleased to see that the shutoff valve had done it’s job; only a small pool of the red-tinted liquid had coalesced on the floor.

It was a simple fix, the break was clean so all that was needed was a quick soldering. Leo smiled, snapping his fingers as a focused flame sprouted into existence over his right index finger. He then held the personalized blowtorch up to the end of the tube, watching as the copper’s temperature rose until the end of the tube was a hot, glowing, white hue.

“That is so cool.” The demigod heard a mix of awe and envy in Carter’s words.

“What, welding?” Leo replied as he continued to work. “Nah- it’s pretty easy. Y’see, all you gotta do is-”

“I meant your magic. Your flame.”

“Oh, this?” Leo waggled his index finger slightly. “This isn’t magic, it’s…”

The demigod hesitated with a frown. What  _ was _ it called? An ability? His power? A gift? Maybe it  _ was _ a kind of magic. After a moment, Leo realized he didn’t really care what it was called; whatever it was, it had been a part of him ever since he was born.

Shrugging, the demigod finally said, “Call it what you want. Personally, I chalk it up to my overall amazingness.”

“It’s definitely some kind of magic.” Carter mused as Leo finished with the pipe. “Yours is orange, and Percy’s was purple.”

“Hang on-” The demigod frowned. “I get why mine is orange- fire, and all- but Aquaman’s was  _ purple _ ? Not, y’know,  _ blue _ . Like, the color of the sea.”

The magician shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t write the rules of magic. I’m just telling you what I saw, Annabeth’s was blue when we first met. Either way,” Carter’s tone turned wistful again. “It’s a pretty neat ability.”

“Yeah, well,” Leo walked over to his bed, grabbing a rag and wiping the excess oil from his hands. “It wasn’t always that way.” he turned back to see his doppelganger's brow had furrowed in confusion. “This power, ability, magic- whatever, everyone at camp told me it was this big, bad-juju curse. That whenever a child of Hephaestus had been gifted the ability to control fire, it meant great destruction wasn’t far around the corner.”

“As far as I know, curses  _ can _ be cast onto living beings.” Carter said. “But that’s not the sense I got when you used your magic just now.”

Leo laughed. “Could’ve fooled me. It was sorta like that Path of the Gods thing you were talking about. People thought my fire was a danger because that’s all they’d really looked at it as. Fire user appears, bad things happen- naturally the events  _ must _ be correlated; so they put two and two together and got seven.”

“What caused them to change their mind?”

“Well,” The demigod winked as he made his way towards the door, “Saving the world once or twice tends to alter people’s perspective.”

“I wish that would solve our problem.” Carter scoffed as they walked up the staircase.

The demigod shrugged. “Often times the problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about to problem. Do you see the problem?”

“... not really, no.”

“Put it this way,” Leo restated as they meandered down the hallway towards the mess hall. “I figure the world is basically a machine. I don't know who made it, if it was the Fates, or the gods, or the capital-G god or whatever. But it chugs along the way it's supposed to most of the time. Sure, little pieces break off and stuff goes haywire once in awhile, but mostly... things happen for a reason.”

“ _ LEO! _ ”

“And sometimes it would be really nice to know that reason.” Leo grumbled as he and Carter ran down the remaining length of the hallway. Taking the steps two at a time, the boys burst through the doors to the top deck, unsure as to what to expect from Percy’s shout. Leo glanced around, not seeing any immediate threat; then his eyes locked on what had been the cause of Percy’s alarm.

The girls were back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> I wish everyone the best of Wednesday's and I'll see you tomorrow for the next, not-late update :)
> 
> <3


	14. Playing Tag with a Pterotoi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demigods face down a giant flying snake while the magicians open a portal above- hang on! Big Ben is NOT an obelisk!
> 
> Or: The one where Carter and Sadie break the laws of magic and things go... about as good as one could expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Friday eve (aka Thursday!)
> 
> I hope everyone is having a better day than Annabeth and Sadie- we'll get right on into it.  
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Annabeth POV)**

Running from a giant flying snake monster had been surprisingly easy. Not that Annabeth was complaining or anything. The demigod’s premonition had been correct; once she and Sadie had ducked into the subway the _Pterotoi_ was unable to pursue them thanks to it’s massive size. That didn’t stop the winged serpent from trying, however, as it slammed its tail repeatedly against the entrance in an unsuccessful attempt to widen the opening.

The red brick walls trembled with each blow, the station’s structure shaking all the way to it’s foundation. Lights flickered as what few mortals lingered in the underground quickly evacuated through the other entrance, with security personnel directing traffic in lieu of the sudden “earthquake”.

 _Honestly_ , the Daughter of Athena found herself thinking as she rolled her eyes, _there aren’t even any fault lines in London_.

Luckily, the sudden panic caused by the _Pterotoi_ allowed the girls to bypass the ticket booths without notice, since the employees manning the gates were too preoccupied ushering people towards the exit. Annabeth wove her way through the mass exodus of subway riders, half-dragging the magician along with her towards the train that had just pulled in.

Sadie was looking slightly worse for wear, her skin was paler than usual and her normally bright blue eyes were dulled with fatigue. Whatever had happened back there with Euryale had seriously drained the magician.

Sparing one last glance at the support beams and reassuring herself that the structure would hold out under the monsters barrage, Annabeth barreled inside the subway car; just as an overhead speaker informed passengers to stand clear of the closing doors. After taking a moment to collect herself and slow her breathing, the demigod cast her gaze around their section while the doors slid shut with a hiss.

Their car was practically empty, aside from another teenager at one end with a pair of headphones covering his ears. The demigod doubted the kid had even heard the commotion outside and she found herself rolling her eyes again; _millennials_. Annabeth moved to the other end of their section and eased Sadie into one of the still plastic seats, the magician grunting slightly as she slumped against the backrest.

“You good?” The demigod asked warily, opting to stand as the train pulled out of the station. Sadie didn’t respond for a moment, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead as she took deep breaths. 

“Been better.” She admitted truthfully. “My head feels like it’s been put through a blender set to purée, but I’ll live. So that thing out there-”

“The _Pterotoi_?”

“Sure, that- any chance it’ll just give up and go away?” Sadie asked hopefully.

Annabeth wished she could say yes, but in truth, the Daughter of Athena knew that monsters with revenge vendettas rarely gave in so easily. First it had been Kronos and wanting to punish the gods for his imprisonment, then it had been Gaea and her plot to bring down civilization because she disliked their mere presence, and now it was some Egyptian Goddess who wanted revenge on her father for some reason.

At the demigods silence, Sadie sighed, “Thought not. So- what’s our play?”

“Our… play?” Annabeth repeated, blinking out of her wandering thoughts.

“The _plan_?” The magician pressed, continuing to massage her temple. “How do we kill it?”

“Oh, right.” The demigod nodded, refocusing on their current predicament. “Well, at least we know what we’re dealing with.” She said with a grim smile as the subway car rattled along, passing another station. “Usually, I’d like to do some research first- arm myself with knowledge, but I guess we don’t really have the time for that.”

Sadie grunted, rolling her eyes. “You sound like my brother. Tell me, how often do monsters give you the luxury of Googling them before they attack?”

“Never.” Annabeth replied, “Thankfully, I don’t need Google for this one. Chiron told me about them, they’re pretty old monsters in Greek Mythology, only a few documented accounts of them remian. According to the scriptures, the _Pterotoi_ used to guard spice-bearing trees from herb gatherers.”

“Herbs?” The magician frowned. “Why sense does it make for a guardian of herbs be in the back of a blood bus?”

Annabeth shrugged, searching through her mental database. “I think there’s some kind of frankincense that makes use of dragon's blood-”

“Whoa, whoa wait-” Sadie had, if possible, paled even more. “Dragons are real too?”

The demigod couldn’t help but chuckle at her companions expression. “ _Drakons_ , yes. Dragons… personally, I haven’t run into any aside from Leo’s mechanical one and Peleus, but would you _honestly_ be surprised if more do exist?”

Sadie opened her mouth to reply and then hesitated. Eventually she shrugged, saying, “I guess not. What’s this frankenstein stuff you were talking about? Sounds like a monster perfume.”

“You’re not far off. Frankincense, it’s used in aromatherapy, but mostly for relieving pain and removing anxiety.” Annabeth explained, “Euryale may have been trying to recreate a similar mixture with the blood of humans. My guess, and this is purely speculation, would be she was trying to create something a little more potent than the original frankincense.”

“Yay,” Sadie grumbled. “More toys for the bad guys.”

Annabeth couldn’t help but agree with the lack of enthusiasm. “Right, we can add it to the list of messes to clean up _after_ we save the world.”

“So what’s with the monster, then?” The magician wondered, her eyes drifting to watch as they pulled past another station.

The demigod shrugged, “Hypothetically speaking, Euryale may have it under her control somehow. Or, if the gorgon has a store of herbs in the bus, it might just be doing what it’s always done: protecting the plants. What I _do_ know, is that the only thing that could repel a _Pterotoi_ was the smoke of the storax.”

Saide raised an eyebrow, looking as if she hadn’t heard right. “We have to burn a Dr. Suess book?”

“A Dr… no.” It was Annabeth's turn to look confused. “Storax is a root. According to the mythos, the smoke was so pungent it would repel the _Pterotoi_.”

“Ah… Don’t suppose we have any of that with us, do we?” The younger girl’s tone was sarcastically optimistic.

“Nope.”

“Great,” The magician huffed. “So, plan ‘B’ it is.”

The demigod raised an eyebrow. “We had a plan ‘B’?”

“There’s _always_ a plan ‘B’,” Sadie nodded. “In this instance it’s get back to the flying boat, hope that the boys found what we came here for, and leave London as fast as we can.”

“And what about the monster? It has our scent now, and I doubt Euryale is going to just let us go.”

“Simple.” The magician grinned, a look that Annabeth had seen many a time on her boyfriend’s face whenever he got a really stupid idea. “If the giant snake shows up we forge ahead, think on our feet. When necessary, blast it to teeny-tiny pieces.”

It was just the kind of irrational, nonspecific, and completely bogus plan Percy would come up with. The kind of plan that always somehow managed to work out in the end. The Daughter of Athena shook her head, deciding not to point out that the interlocked scales of the snake provided a sufficiently strong, near impenetrable armor; and instead said, “You’d fit right in at camp.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Sadie flashed a smile. “Our stop’s coming up.”

Despite her insistence that she was ‘perfectly capable’, Sadie still leaned heavily on Annabeth as they got off the rail. As they shuffled up the stairs, Annabeth heard the magician mutter a curse about traveling through the Duat: The demigod had absolutely no idea what a ‘Duat’ was and just chalked it up to some strange England mode of transportation. Whatever it was, it was probably faster than what the slow pace they were limited to now. 

As they made their way towards the river, Annabeth found it immensely difficult to resist the urge to glance over her shoulder every couple of seconds. The fact that the _Pterotoi_ was nowhere to be found was almost as terrifying as when she’d been fighting it earlier. If there was one thing the Daughter of Athena hated above all else (except for spiders, of course), it was the feeling of being hunted.

Ever since she’d run away from home, that pressing feeling had permeated her very existence. It was a natural thing for the demigod to continuously scan her surroundings, evaluating potential escape routes, noting bottleneck areas and places with high foot traffic. Adrenalin pumping through her system while her nerve endings fired constantly in preparation for a potential fight or flight situation. Her mind playing through endless scenarios with different variables to elicit countless outcomes.

Annabeth hated it. Even as she was grateful for the instinct that had and undoubtedly would continue to save her life countless times, she hated the on-edge sensation that plagued every step she took. The only place she’d ever felt truly safe and relaxed was at Camp Half-Blood. And then even that sanctuary had been poisoned by Luke and Kronos and Octavian and Gaea with their attempts to destroy the one place she could truly call home.

Sure the attempts had failed, they had _all_ failed. But one day, someone would succeed.

The sight of the Argo III pulled Annabeth back to the present as she hurried up the gangplank. Percy watched their ascent and waved, the stupid grin that was plastered on his face falling as he got a closer look at the battered and bruised pair limping aboard.

“LEO!” The demigod yelled as he rushed over, moving so that he and Annabeth were supporting the magician between them. “What happened?” Percy asked, brows furrowed with worry as the doors to the lower decks swung open.

Leo and Carter emerged from below, both looking around in wild confusion before they spotted the girls. Upon seeing his sister, the magician hurried to their side, much in the same concerned manner Percy just had. Leo, for his part, looked extremely confused, caught between joining the fray and moving to prep the Argo III for battle.

Annabeth helped him come to a decision. “Leo,” She commanded, “Get us airborne, we’re leaving… now!”

Galvanized into action, the Son of Hephaestus nodded, making his way to the control panel. The ship hummed to life as he activated the proper commands, the oars shuddering as the Argo III slowly pulled away from the docks. As the ship moved, Annabeth and Percy gently lowered Sadie to the deck, her back propped against the mast.

“I told you, I’m _fine_ , Carter.” The magician proclaimed, batting away her brother’s continuous attempts to examine for injuries. “Just a bit tired.”

“What happened?” Percy asked again, looking between the two girls. “I thought you were just going to get some supplies.”

“Yes well, the giant flying snake monster had other ideas.” Sadie grumbled.

Carter glanced at Annabeth, “How hard did my sister hit her head?”

The demigod shrugged, “I don’t think she did… I was a bit preoccupied fending off the _Pterotoi_.”

“The what?” Percy blinked.

“The giant flying snake monster.” Sadie supplied.

Annabeth nodded. “Winged serpent, technically, but yes. Honestly, Percy, do you even _try_ to pay attention during Chiron’s lectures?”

Her boyfriend was spared from giving the very obvious answer to her question when a loud hiss reverberated through the city. The deep-throated noise sent shivers down Annabeth’s spine as they all tried to pinpoint the source of the sound, scanning their surroundings as the Argo III took flight.

From the helm, Leo looked down at the others nervously. “Why does it sound like a very large steam pipe just burst?”

“That would be the _Pterotoi_.” Annabeth informed, moving towards the rail of the ship to get a better vantage point. “Euryale probably sent it to hunt us.”

“Hang on… Euryale?” Percy frowned. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

Annabeth gave her boyfriend a long suffering look, “Medusa’s sister.” She said simply, before quickly explaining how their ‘girls night out’ had gone wrong. The demigod intentionally neglected to mention that they visited the Faust's house, instead saying that Sadie wanted to visit one of her school friends. Once she got to the part about her fighting the snake monster, Sadie took up the mantle, explaining how she managed to get past Euryale.

“You did _what_ ?” Carter whirled around to stare at his sibling. There was a mixture of amazement and outrage in his expression. “Sadie- the last time it took _both_ of us _and_ the power of the gods to travel through the Duat.”

“If you’re trying to say I’m amazing, brother, there are simpler ways to do so.” Sadie smirked, standing slowly from her seated position. The magician was still a bit unsteady but held a determined look in her sapphire eyes.

“What I’m _saying_ ,” Carter countered, his voice low, “Is that what you did was _extremely_ dangerous.”

Sadie shrugged, “We’ve both pulled off more with less. Look,” she said, more seriously, “I’m fine, okay. What we should be doing, is figuring out how to shake off the giant flying snake monster. I don’t think that dagger in its side will slow it down much.”

“I liked that dagger.” Annabeth stated in a way that could almost be petulant. “I’ve had it since I was five.”

“Well you may have a chance to get it back.” Leo informed them from his position on the quarterdeck. The mechanic pointed off in the distance, “I take it _that_ is what we’re running from?”

Off the starboard rail Annabeth could see the rippling rainbow wings of the _Pterotoi_ as the winged serpent rose into the air, it’s head swiveling back and forth, forked tongue flitting in and out through it’s thin lips.

“That would be the giant flying snake monster, yes.” Sadie confirmed.

“Not that I’m complaining, but why hasn’t it found us yet?” Percy wondered aloud, having already drawn out Riptide in pen form.

“It’s probably having a hard time sorting through the smells of the city,” Annabeth realized. “It only has one good eye so it’s sight is impaired. It has to rely on its other senses to find us.”

“You stabbed that thing’s eye?” Percy sounded impressed as he smiled at his girlfriend.

“That almost sounded like a compliment, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth shot back. “Once we’re gained some altitude it won’t be long before it picks up our scent. We need an escape plan. Any brilliant ideas?” She directed the last comment at the magicians.

The siblings exchanged a glance, seeming to come to the same conclusion.

“Portal?” Sadie suggested.

“Portal.” Carter confirmed with a stoic nod, looking none too pleased. “It’s our best chance; but we’ve never opened one this big before.”

Sadie waved off his concern. “First time for everything, right? Now we just need a pyramid.”

“A- what?” Percy sputtered, “I don’t think there are any of those in London.”

“None that are close enough, anyway.” Carter mused. “In order to open a portal you need an egyptian symbol of power: replicas of pyramids, buildings shaped like obelisks, and statues of sphinxes are the most common ones.” 

“Like the Washington Monument.” Sadie supplied.

A light seemed to turn on in Annabeth's mind, “Like Cleopatra's Needle back in Manhattan?”

“Exactly.”

“Why don’t we just use the Cleopatras Needle here in London?” Percy suggested.

Carter shook his head. “And run the risk of destroying it like we did in Manhattan? Pass.”

“What about that?” Leo asked from the helm, gesturing towards the clocktower.

“Big Ben?” The magician rubbed his chin, “It’s _technically_ a big obelisk…”

Annabeth cleared her throat. “ _Technically,_ it is a freestanding gothic revival brickwork tower. Not an obelisk.”

“Closest thing we’ve got. We don’t really have the time to be picky.” Sadie pointed out, as a resounding hiss rippled through the air as if to confirm her suspicions.

The _Pterotoi_ has located them, it’s one good eye locked on the small boat rising from the river. In the other, the demigods and magicians could make out the shaft of a dagger protruding from the socket. With a loud hiss, the _Pterotoi’s_ rainbow wings rose and fell, propelling the serpent towards it’s prey. 

“Head for Big Ben!” Carter yelled at Leo. 

“But it’s not-” 

“Whatever it was ‘designed’ as, it’s still the best we got!” Sadie summoned her ivory staff. “Keep the _pterotoi_ occupied. Throw scones at it or something!” 

The demigod boy paused and then looked at Annabeth for translation. 

She could only shrug as the Egyptians went down to the lower deck. “Worked on Euryale.”

The ballistae powered up, swirling towards the monster as Percy uncapped Riptide. Annabeth felt naked without her own weapon, her hands gripping the rail as Leo spun the ship towards the clock tower.

Leo fired. The giant crossbow bolt sailed through the air, striking true into the side of the _Pterotoi_. The bolt exploded on impact, slowing the winged serpent’s advance as it was pushed back from the force of the blow.

The bolt itself was harmless to the beast, not even breaking through its natural, scaly armor. The _Pterotoi_ twisted to avoid the next shot but Leo flung out his hand, having input a sequence on his Arc Gauntlet that caused the bolt to explode anyway. Percy did what he could, summoning geysers from the river below to douse the _Pterotoi’s_ wings, but the water had only slightly more effect than the exploding bolts.

Annabeth found herself sidelined _again_ , struggling desperately to come up with a plan while the monster slowly closed the gap between it and the ship like some horrifying game of tag.

The magicians emerged from the lower deck, Carter having donned his satchel while Sadie had pulled her dyed hair back into a ponytail. The former hurried over to an open area on the ship while the latter stopped to admire the fireworks and fountain display.

“Whoa.” Was all Sadie said before her brother called her over.

It was as if the magicians could read each other's minds, Carter and Sadie never uttering a single word as they got to work, drawing a large circle with chalk on the deck of the ship. All the siblings had to do was say the others name or exchange a glance for the other to know exactly what was needed. As they worked, Annabeth recognized the circle as a larger version of the sigil Carter had drawn back in the park, the edges decorated with different hieroglyphs of multiple colors.

Leo took a moment to frown at them between shots. “That stuff better not stain!” He warned. “I had a hard enough time scrubbing Piper’s curry powder out of the sink.”

Annabeth’s head whipped around to stare at the other demigod. “What?”

“Took me a whole week.” Leo complained as he fired off another shot. “Red stains _everywhere_ -”

“Do you still have some?”

Now the mechanic looked confused. “What, Piper’s curry powder? I think she left it in the galley-”

Annabeth didn’t wait to hear the rest of Leo’s sentence, dashing down the flight of stairs and hanging a hard left into the kitchen. Flinging open every cupboard, her grey gaze scanned their contents, finally resting on the glass container half-filled with the crimson powder. Taped over the original label was an index card, the words ‘Spices from Hell: Consume at your own risk!’ scrawled in Leo’s handwriting.

The Daughter of Athena swiped the jar, just as the whole ship lurched. Heading topside, the demigod soon saw why. The _Pterotoi_ had slammed its tail against the hull of the ship, leaving a notable dent in the starboard hull, the railing reshaped in a ‘U’ where the strike had connected.

Despite the grim situation, Annabeth found herself smiling. It wasn’t ideal, but it was exactly what she’d needed; the monster was well within range now. The demigod dashed to the edge of the rail, chucking the glass jar over the edge.

It was a one in a million shot, requiring accuracy and perfect hand-eye coordination. She had to judge the differences in their speed and predict the bob and weave of the snake’s uneven flight- which was nothing like an actual bird’s due to it’s longer drag and lack of a feathered tail for steering- and factor in the airspeed and changing trajectories as the _Argo III_ moved to circled Big Ben until the portal materialized.

But she was a daughter of Athena. She did vector calculations for fun while her boyfriend attempted crossword puzzles at breakfast. 

Percy let out a triumphant yell when the jar smashed just above the snout of the snake, glass shattering as the curry powder burst in a puff of crimson, completely covering the _Pterotoi’s_ nostrils. With a screeching hiss, the winged snake recoiled from the assault on it’s senses, thrashing as it shook its head to get rid of the burning sensation.

The length of its tail slipped over the side of the Argo III, the snake quickly wrapping itself around the hull as it attempted to reorient itself. The Argo III listed as the monster latched itself onto the ship, knocking demigods and magicians off balance. The contents of Carter’s open satchel spilled across the deck while Leo wrestled with the controls to get the ship stabilized. 

Annabeth instinctively threw out her hands as she fell. Her fingers closing around the hilt of Carter’s wand. Pain made her gasp; the ivory burned like dry ice! The demigod tried to let go but her hand wouldn’t obey. As she watched, the wand steamed, changing form until the burn subsided and Annabeth held a Celestial bronze dagger- just like the one she’d carried for years. 

She stared at the blade. Then she heard the groaning sound of the Argo III as the _Pterotoi_ tightened its hold on the hull.

Leo was busy at the controls, successfully ensuring that the ship remained level. Percy had jumped at the length of snake coiled around the ship, slashing and stabbing at the mass of snake hide. His blows were ineffective against the natural armor, Riptide’s edge rebounding off the scaled surface.

The attacks seemed to only discomfort the _Pterotoi_ , the celestial bronze barely scratching the scales. With a hiss, the monster lunged with an open maw at the Son of Poseidon. Percy dodged, barely avoiding the curved fangs as the snake’s head slammed into the deck, retracting only to reveal a new dent in the metalwork.

“Stop bashing holes in my ship!” Leo yelled from the helm, having finished whatever calibration he was doing. With the flip of a switch, the satellite dish at the bow swiveled, a ring of lights at the edge of the concave surface flaring to life.

A beam on heat ricochet off of the lens, redirecting the blast at the midriff of the _Pterotoi_. The scales sizzled and the monster screamed in pain, it’s hold on the Argo III slipping as the winged sergeant shied away from the attack.

Annabeth turned to the magicians. “How much longer?”

“Magic’s not an exact science,” Carter replied, sounding a tad irritated. “It’s-”

“Done!” Sadie announced, tucking the chalk she’d been using into her jacket pocket.

“Three minutes.” Carter said. “Max.”

Annabeth nodded. “I can do that.” She promised, the magicians beginning to chant simultaneously as the demigod turned her attention back to the fight.

As it turned out, Annabeth didn’t really need to do much at the moment, Leo had the situation under control with his new toy. The mechanic cackled maniacally as the monster took evasive maneuvers to avoid the continuous blast of light, swiveling the device to follow after the snake like some demented laser pointer. His contraption swiped across the tail of the _Pterotoi_ , scalding the scales and leaving an angry red streak along the natural armor. The snake’s hold loosened, the hull of the Argo III practically groaning with relief.

“Ha ha! Take that, you ugly legless lizard!”

Then the satellite device sparked, a half dozen lights popping, scattering fleck of glass shrapnel across the bow. The intensity of the light diminished significantly and the _Pterotoi_ turned to glare at the mechanic with its one good eye.

Leo’s grin fell. “I mean, uh… _nice_ legless lizard?”

The winged serpent hissed and slithered closer to the middle of the deck.

“Guys-? My bag of tricks is running empty, any ideas?” 

Percy charged in, calling forth a spurt of water to propel him towards the snake’s head. He balanced like he was riding an invisible surfboard as he circled around the snake, its good eye following him until- 

_Bam!_ Percy lead it to slam into one of the support masts. The Argo III trembled from the impact. The monster flailed in surprise and he took the opportunity to jump off the wave, grabbing the bronze dagger that had been solidly buried in its right eye the whole fight and yanking it out. The _Pterotoi_ gave a shriek of pain, grip slipping even more as it tried to focus more on the thing dealing it such agony.

Leo shouted indignantly about the damage to his ship, but Annabeth didn’t really listen. Sometimes, Percy was just- her boyfriend just did something _so_ unexpected it took her breath away. 

Percy landed back on the deck and pulled out Riptide again, charging forward. His stance lost all finesse as he gave up trying to slice through the scales, instead resorting to bashing with the blunt edge and wielding his ancient weapon like a one handed baseball bat.

“Pinata time!” He shouted, obviously finding the situation to be a bit entertaining. 

_...and sometimes_ , Annabeth added to her earlier thought, _that wasn’t in the good way_.

“Well even _I_ could have thought of that!” Leo huffed. “I meant _new_ ideas.”

“Leo,” Annabeth called him to attention. “Bag of tricks. What’s left?” 

“Well it’s not a _literal_ bag-” 

“ _Leo_!” 

“Let’s see,” The mechanic pulled up at list at the console, “I’ve got a few vials of greek fire, seven bolts, one broken archimedes mirror, oh- a nine-tenths socket wrench! Been looking for that for a while now- and four heavy toolboxes that might knock it out but I’ll probably need those parts later-”

“Wait- are those bolts the same ones I’ve seen? The exploding ones?” 

“One and only. Calibration isn’t perfect though, if I fire it at the flying boa constrictor I might blow through the side of my baby _._ ” He looked almost ill at the mere idea of accidentally damaging his ship. 

Annabeth looked over the rail and smiled. “You’re not going to aim for the _Pterotoi_. Percy! Get it to let go!” 

“I’m _trying_.” Percy growled, now attempting to wedge Riptide between the tail of the snake and the deck and manually pry the thing off of the ship. He may as well have been levering a mountain.

It wasn’t working. And the Daughter of Athena had no idea what to do. Annabeth was frustrated. For _once_ she wanted something to go according to plan. Was that so hard? Knowing it would do nothing to solve the problem, except to maybe provide an outlet for her heightened stress, the demigod rammed her dagger into the side of the snake.

The blade cut through the scales like butter, sinking into the _Pterotoi_.

Annabeth blinked in shock, then pulled the dagger down the length of the tail, leaving a gaping wound that quickly welled with golden ichor. That was the last straw for the winged snake, its grip dissolved completely and the Argo III shuddered sideways at the lost weight, Leo fighting with the controls once more.

“Leo, get the bolts ready! Percy move aft.” Annabeth commanded.

“What?” Leo looked up, catching sight of his fellow demigod’s expression and then smiling himself. “I know that face. That’s the ‘I have a plan’ face! One boom boom stick, coming up!”

“Ooh I _love_ that face!” Percy grinned, then staggered and hurriedly added “I- I mean- not _just_ that face, obviously. I love all your expressions-” 

“ _Boys_.”

“Except that one,” he muttered to Leo as he moved to where Annabeth had hold him. “That’s her ‘I am resisting the urge to strangle you’ face.” 

“I get that one a lot.” The mechanic admitted.

“The bolt, Leo.” Annabeth growled him back into action before turning to Percy. “I need a wall of water between us and the monster on my mark.”

Percy looked down at the impossibly far distance between them and the Thames River, taking a breath and nodding. Annabeth saw a flash of blue in her peripheral and glanced over to see a swirling sand vortex expanding over the top of Big Ben. Her gaze shifted to the magicians who were still chanting, somehow having retained their concentration throughout the battle to make their escape. The portal wasn’t big enough for the ship to fit through yet.

She’d just have to make good on her promise. And hope they’d actually be ready when her last monster-stalling tactic was up.

The demigod raised her hand, staring down the _Pterotoi_ as the snake finished recovering from the last attack, it’s tail still dripping ichor into the river below. With a hiss of outrage it beat its wings, slicing through the air towards the demigods that had caused it so much pain.

Annabeth forced herself to wait. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but what they don’t tell you is that it crawls when you’re facing down your death. Fear made the danger bigger and adrenaline always tried to trick her careful calculations, so instead of counting seconds she watched their shadows grow closer on the ground far below them to judge the _Pterotoi’s_ approach. Impatience was the true enemy in any battle.

Almost there… and… “ _Fire!_ ” 

The balliste bolt leaped from the weapon, streaking towards the snake. Annabeth’s hand came down a fraction of a second before it reached the monster, Percy grunting with the effort as he pulled a tidal wave upwards. The bolt exploded, the fire and water sizzling as a fog of foul smelly, polluted river water engulfed the area around the winged serpent, which writhed and turned, disoriented.

“Get to the clocktower!” Annabeth ordered.

Leo jumped from the weapon back to steering, the Argo III turning sharply towards the portal that had grown to be easily the size of a house.

The Daughter of Athena allowed herself a sigh of relief as they reached the sand vortex. They’d made it! She glanced back at the cloud of fog that still lingered over the river as the _Argo III_ slipped into the portal.

That’s when it went wrong.

As soon as the masthead of the ship connected with the sand, both magicians yelled, simultaneously bringing their hands to their foreheads. Sadie crumpled to the deck within seconds while Carter staggered to the rail, bracing himself against the metal.

The blue edge of the portal flickered, sparks angrily jutting out from the perimeter. Carter stopped shouting and the demigod looked back, fully expecting him to have collapsed like his sibling. Instead she saw the kid’s mouth moving as he continued the chant, a determined look in his hazel eyes.

The portal stabilized somewhat, allowing the Argo III to slip completely into the vortex. Hot air pressed in from all sides, sand filling Annabeth’s vision. There was a loud _BANG_ and someone- maybe herself- screamed. And then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Well... that can't be good...
> 
> Super huge thanks to everyone who left comments and kudos!!! Your support is amazing and I truly cannot express my gratitude in enough ways. It's humbling to know people are actually enjoying this clusterfrack of a fic.
> 
> Have a wonderful rest of your day- Don't do anything the Kanes wouldn't do (which isn't a long list, tbh).  
> <3


	15. I Couldn't Die to Save My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth visits the underworld, Carter is dead (maybe?), and Julius Kane gets a heart attack in the afterlife
> 
> Or: Carter really, REALLY hates portals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Saturday! I hope everyone is having a better day than me. Went kayaking this morning and capsized in the middle of a maze of side channels, nearly waterlogged my phone in the process and giving myself a heart attack. All's well that ends well, but man oh man did I think my weekend was about to be ruined because of my poor sense of balance.
> 
> Anyway- Carter is having a much worse time than me, so... I don't have a lot of room to complain.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Carter POV)**

Did I mention how much I hate portals?

No? Well, allow me officially state that portals suck. You know that feeling when you dive to the bottom of a deep pool, like your nose and ears are going to explode, and your eyes are going to pop out of your head? Imagine that feeling, only in this instance it was a hundred times worse. It felt as if the molecules of my body were heating up, buzzing so fast they might fly apart. Which, I guess they did- in a sense.

Maybe I should back up.

So, once Sadie and I had completed the magic circle, my sister and I began the spell to open a portal over Big Ben. Now, typically, this sort of thing would be a cakewalk for Sadie. She’s our undisputed expert when it comes to portal travel (It’s really one of her few redeeming qualities). Portal spells are one of the easier incantations. All you have to do is picture the location and say the words.

As with any spell, to do it  _ right _ requires unbroken concentration and correct pronunciation. Trying to cast a spell with someone else- that’s doubly hard. Especially when neither of us were at full strength; there was no  _ way _ I was going to let Sadie do this on her own.

All the meanwhile, the demigods were having a blast fending off the giant winged serpent.

We started the chant. I was vaguely aware of Annabeth and Percy battling the _ Pterotoi _ . Leo was at the helm, doing his best to keep the ship level. And although I knew the battle was in full swing but I couldn’t allow myself to really pay attention, focus tunneled in on our task. Occasionally the Argo III would shudder or jerk to one side, but Sadie and I kept our concentration (and, surprisingly, our footing) through it all. I could hear the demigods talking, trying to come up with some strategy as the portal flashed into existence over the clocktower.

Sadie and I continued to chant. The words flowed from our mouths, the magic swirling and combining as it fed into the energy of the portal, causing the vortex to grow in size. I could see that my sister was struggling to maintain the spell, her brow furrowed in intense determination as the vortex expanded. Sweat stung my own eyes, and despite the chilled air at this altitude, I began to feel feverish.

The Argo III listed to the side, Annabeth shouting out orders to her fellow demigods as the ship lurched towards the top of Big Ben. A sense of relief washed over me when I realized that Annabeth had somehow managed to keep her promise. All that was left was to escape through the portal. Sadie smiled tiredly at me through the spell when she came to the same realization. And as wel glided towards the portal, I made a mental note to incorporate dual spellcasting into my training regimen once we got back to the Brooklyn House.

Then the masthead of the Argo III touched the swirling sand vortex, and a jolt of electricity ran down my spine.

Before I even had a chance to process the reaction, there was an intense stab of pain behind my eyes. It was as if someone had driven a stake through my brain. I yelled, hearing Sadie do the same, and pressed my hands to my head. There was a muted  _ thud _ as Sadie hit the deck.

I grabbed for the railing before my knees could give out, wrenching my eyes over to stare at the portal. Angry blue sparks jutted from the perimeter of the vortex, the gateway no longer stable since we stopped the incantation. The Argo III was already a quarter of the way through, and I had no intention of finding out what the repercussions of attempting to cross a destabilized portal were.

Without hesitation, I picked up the spell again. The discomfort flared in response, my body tensing from the strain on my magic. With Sadie down for the count, I was sustaining the enlarged portal with only my own, personal reserves- and there wasn’t much left for me to pull from. Spots danced in my vision. Through the haze I could tell that the gateway was shrinking, even as I poured the rest of my energy into the spell.

The Argo III was about three fourths of the way through when those reserves dried up.

I could feel the portal unravelling, the sand and heat pressing in from all sides. The magic pulling the ship and all of it’s occupants apart as it tried to scatter our essence throughout the Duat.  _ No.  _ I thought,  _ I won’t let it end like this.  _ I grit my teeth and dug deeper, deeper than I thought possible.

That’s when I found it. A well of pure, raw magical energy within me. As I tapped into that power a scream tore through my throat.

It burned.

My whole body felt like it had been plunged into the Lake of Fire. I was burning and drowning at the same time, consumed by the magical essence I was using. I sunk to my knees, having lost the strength to stand. My head pounded, vision tunneling as the Argo III slipped completely through the gateway.

I had a brief second to wonder if this is what it’s like for a magician to finally burn out and I hoped it would never happen to Sadie (though if accidents could run in a family, this one seemed to run in ours).

Then the portal lights stopped reflecting off the gold of Leo’s ship, and I saw nothing. 

As much as I would’ve loved a nice, long, uninterrupted twelve hours of sleep, the blackness didn’t last very long. When next I opened my eyes, I found myself in a temple like room, a great hall with blazing braziers and an empty throne at the far end. The Scales of Anubis dominated the center; a black iron T with ropes linked to two golden dishes- each one big enough to hold a person. Curled at the base of the scales, fast asleep, was Ammit the Devourer: A creature no bigger than your average poodle with the head of a crocodile, the mane and front half of a lion, and the rear end of a hippo.

It was a room I was- unfortunately- familiar with. I’d been here three times before, and none of those visits had been under particularly good circumstances. The Second Cataract; the Hall of Judgement. The place where souls go to be judged and either cast into oblivion for their crimes, or admitted into Aaru- the Paradise of the underworld.

What scared me more than the location was the fact that my body was incredibly corporeal. Usually when Saide or I take a  _ Ba _ trip, our forms are more gaseous, more transparent. This time I felt solid.

My breath hitched, coming in quick gasps with the realization that I might  _ actually _ be dead. 

I had always imagined that I would die locked in mortal combat with some colossal monster. Or casting some super powerful, ancient spell. Not like this. I thought I’d at least get the chance to graduate from high school before kicking the bucket. There were so many things I still wanted to do- take Zia on a proper date, go to college, tour the great pyramids… (finally get Sadie to admit that I’m right: among other things). But to die before I got my driver's permit? Talk about an unresolved cliffhanger. There were so many things I’d never go back to.

“Carter?”

My head snapped over at the voice, seeing Annabeth standing off to one side, her whole body outlined in a ghostly blue light that made her look like she’d just come from some neon paint party. Symbols swirled around her vitreous form, letters from a language I couldn’t recognize. There was something familiar about her appearance, how the symbols mixed together before splitting apart. It almost reminded me of...

A  _ ren _ . This was her  _ ren _ : I was seeing Annabeth’s true name (what- you didn't think it was just an actual  _ word _ , did you?).

But if she was here then… did that mean...

The demigod snapped her transparent blue fingers. “Carter, what’s going on?”

“I-I don’t get it.” I muttered, my brows knitting together. “W-why are you here? You shouldn’t  _ be _ here...” My voice trailed off as I reevaluated the room with a stricter eye. Maybe this  _ was _ a dream, after all? How else could Annabeth- a  _ Greek _ demigod- be here. Didn't demigods have their own version of the afterlife?

“Carter. Where exactly  _ is _ ‘here’?”

I snapped my gaze back. “This is the Hall of Judgement.... the Egyptian Underworld.”

If I’d expected some kind of reaction from the blond I was sorely disappointed. Annabeth’s eyebrows rose marginally and she tilted her head to the side, simply saying “Huh… Weird.”

_ Understatement of the century _ , I thought, watching as the demigod studied the temple with renewed interest. She was taking the news that we were probably dead a lot better than I was.

Completely unphased by the new information, I watched as Annabeth walked the length of the room, crouching at the base of the scales. For a moment, I thought the architect was admiring the design of the ancient device. Then the demigod reached out and attempted to pet Ammit, her incorporeal blue hand ghosting through the hippodoodle.

“Who’s this cute little guy?” She asked without looking up.

“That’s Ammit, the Devourer of Souls.” I said. “Tremble before his might.”

“Sure.” Annabeth snorted and stood. She began to walk back when her eyes shifted to something over my shoulder. 

Behind me, a second voice spoke. “Carter.” 

I recognized that voice; that deep, warm, reassuring voice. Whirling around in surprise, I saw that he looked the same in many ways- the long brown coat, the rumpled suit and dusty boots, his head freshly shaven and his beard trimmed. The only difference was the ghostly hue framing his body.

I swallowed, my voice cracking, “D-Dad?”

Julius Kane, Eye of Osiris, smiled. It was so normal, so  _ him _ , that it broke the tension. In my peripherals, I saw Annabeth’s eyes widen as they flicked between me and the man before me, her mouth in a perfect ‘o’.

Now I want to be clear: even though months had passed since we’d last seen each other, I hadn’t ever stopped thinking about my dad for a minute. Every time I saw his picture in the library, I would think of the stories he used to tell me. When I couldn’t find the answer to a problem I would ask myself, ‘ _ What would Dad do?’ _ before even thinking about going to Amos for help.

As my Dad crossed the small distance separating us, he gave no indication that he’d even seen the blue demigod standing right behind me. After a moment of me just staring at him, my brain finally decided to reboot.

“Am I... dead?” I had to ask.

Dad laughed, the sound echoing around the hall. It made me smile and ache all at once. “No. But you certainly tried your best. What you did…” His eyes went unfocused for a moment and he whispered, “You reminded me of your mother.”

I cringed, averting my gaze. I could tell he was mad, or at least disappointed- of course he was. Why wouldn't he be? I’d almost gone out the same way Mom had, and I  _ knew _ how long it’d taken for him to recover from that. On the anniversary of her death he’d be quiet for hours- occasionally days- on end, not even speaking, shutting himself away from the world and just looking hollowed out inside.

“I- I couldn’t think of any other way.” I stammered, “The portal was deteriorating, a-and Sadie-”

“Carter.” I felt a pair of hands grip my shoulders. When I looked up, I saw that my Dad’s expression hadn’t changed. He still looked at me with pride and downright  _ joy _ , as if everything I did delighted him- even my mistakes. It was infuriating.

“I’m not mad.” He said. “Although if you insist on giving me more gray hairs, I assure you there are easier ways to do so.”

My eyes flicked up to his bald crown and I laughed, feeling unbidden tears slip down my cheeks. The hands on my shoulders slid down to my back and I allowed my Dad to pull me into his embrace.

“It’s good to see you, son.” He mumbled as I returned the hug.

“It’s good to see you too, Dad.” Only once I was confident that my emotions were under control did I took a step back. “But, how are we able to speak to one another? I thought that after we defeated Apophis the gods withdrew.”

“I  _ am _ hosting the god of the underworld, you know.” Dad said, tipping his chin up ever so slightly. “And although you are not dead yet, you are on death's doorstep. Our souls are closer to each other than they have ever been. As it is, we do not have much time.”

“The short version, then.” I sighed, before launching into an abbreviated story of the events that had unfolded since Central Park. I left out the part about meeting Greek half-gods, instead drawing Dad’s focus to the fact that Setne was experimenting with different types of magic.

“I know the world’s on the brink of disaster- again- but to be honest,” I shook my head. “It’s Setne that has me concerned. He’s working some angle, he’s got to be. There’s no way he would just let someone else rule the world.”

Dad nodded. “Setne always has an ulterior motive- but as of now, it remains a mystery. He is dabbling in powerful magic. Dangerous magic.”

“Mixing Greek and Egyptian magic can be dangerous.” I quoted with a tilt of my head. “That’s what Anubis told Walt.”

“In the ancient times,” Dad intoned, easily slipping into his educating mode as he paced around the hall. “Egyptians were not the only ones to discover magic- although they were indeed the first. The Romans, Greeks, and the Norse worshiped some of the most influential dirties of the era.”

Dad’s path intersected with where Annabeth stood, the demigod making no move to extract herself seeing as she was incorporeal. I was honestly surprised at how quiet she’d been, I expected the inquisitive blond to rattle off a million questions but so far she’d just stood to the side, watching our exchange with rapt attention. As Dad’s body passed through hers, however, there was a flash of blue. In the span of a few seconds, the symbols that encompassed Annabeth’s body unravelled, her opaque form wavered and then vanished. 

I blinked at the spot for a moment, half expecting her to come back just as easily as she’d disappeared, but all that happened was Dad following my gaze with a puzzled expression. I waved off his concern- whatever he was getting at was more important than wherever Annabeth’s dream took her next. For all I knew she was now awake, or having a daydream about vacationing with her boyfriend in Fiji. 

“Though their magics took different forms, the power granted to them worked in similar fashion to the Egyptians.” Dad continued in stride.

I remembered what Sadie had told us after her dream. “Similar… But complex. The different types of magics don’t blend properly.”

“It’s not impossible, in theory. But in practice, yes.” Dad confirmed. “There are only a few documented accounts of mages attempting to cross integrate these magics: the 1138 Aleppo earthquake, the Chicago conflagration of 1871-”

“Hang on-” This was new information to me. “The Great Chicago Fire was caused by a  _ magician _ ?”

“Catherine O’Leary: a powerful Elementalist in the 30th Nome. She attempted to exert her flame magic on the fires of Vulcan’s forge. The results were quite… Explosive. Ammit devoured her soul upon the spirit’s arrival to the second cataract.”

My eyes drifted to the hippodoodle who snorted in his sleep and rolled over, it’s multicolored belly facing the ceiling. I swallowed.

“All known pursuits that attempted to merge two variants of magic would yield similar catastrophic results.” Dad continued.

“Except for Setne.” I said.

Dad’s frown returned. “Except for Setne, yes. He must have used the Book of Thoth to uncover the way to fuse two kinds of magic.”

My eyes narrowed at the way the last sentence was worded. “So there  _ is _ a way to mix magics safely? How?”

Instead of answering, Dad moved to stand next to the Scales of Anubis. “Think, Carter. How did magic originate?”

I frowned, failing to see how his question in any way answered my own. “Dad, why can’t you just tell me how-”

“ _ Carter _ .” Dad sent me a pointed look. “As I said, combining magic is  _ very _ powerful. If done correctly, it is a magic a  _ hundred _ times stronger than a single Shadow Execration.”

The Shadow Execration spell was  _ the _ most potent spell ever created. My face paled and a shiver ran through my body. No wonder the gods were scared. If combining magics held that kind of power, anyone with the knowledge could effectively  _ end _ the reign of the gods. All of them. All in one spell.

Dad gave me a slow, deliberate nod; seeing that I understood. “I ask again: How did magic originate?”

I took a deep breath, realizing that he was trying to tell me without _ telling  _ me. Maybe it was some kind of loophole on a god’s rule, but more likely it was just Dad being Dad. I smiled at the thought as I started sorting through the wealth of knowledge stored in my memory, trying to recall the absolute basics. It took me a moment because I’d dived farther back in history than your average scholar of  _ Per Ankh _ .

“Well… the first true magicians were the Pharaohs of Egypt.” I said slowly, not yet seeing where he was leading.

“And how were they able to perform spells?”

“Dad, what does this have to do with-”

“How were they able to perform spells?” He interrupted, not even raising his voice.

His mannerisms reminded me of back when we lived out of a suitcase: and suddenly, we were no longer in the Hall of Judgement. Dad was no longer the host of Osiris, and I was no longer a teenage magician who was lost in the throes of another apocalypse. Instead, I was eight, sitting in the back of a grungy taxicab as it drove us to the airport. Dad was riding shotgun, a book propped open against his lap as we played our own, modified version of twenty questions; with each answer serving as some sort of clue as to which ancient ruin or city we would be traveling to next.

“They hosted the gods.” I replied dutifully, drudging up the information with ease. “By channeling the power of the gods they were able to perform magic. But, what does that have to do with combining different types of magic?”

“But were all who hosted the gods successful?” Dad asked, continuing to find the scales very interesting.

“Not all.” I said with a shake of my head, a tad frustrated at his refusal to even acknowledge my query. “Weak hosts would be overpowered, and some hosts wouldn’t grant the gods enough control to perform certain incantations. Only those who could maintain the proper balance were able to tap into the full power of the god they hosted. I still don’t see-”

“And when Chaos was banished,” Dad turned, his stone brown eyes boring into mine. “What became of Order?” He was giving me  _ the look _ : that expectant expression he always wore when I was on the cusp of answering a particularly challenging brain teaser- one where the solution is blatantly obvious once it’s revealed.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead as I recalled the final moments of the battle against Apophis. Merely  _ thinking _ about how close we’d come to failing against the serpent of darkness and night was giving me a headache.

“After the shadow execration spell, Apophis was banished to the deepest layers of the Duat,” I recounted, casting my gaze around the room, as if it might inexplicably hold the answer to Dad’s questions.

“And in order to regain  _ Ma’at _ the gods were forced to leave; as a sort-of counterbalance to the loss of Chaos and-” My words cut off abruptly as my eyes snared on the Scales of Anubis in a moment of clarity. How had I missed it?

Dad smiled.

“Balance.” The one word tumbled from my mouth. “That’s the key?” It was so stupidly simple, and yet I’d only stumbled on the answer after it was practically spelled out for me (in other words, I felt like Sadie).

“It’s been the basis of all magic since the beginning of time.” Dad said, switching into his teaching mode.

But before he could lecture about the vast mysteries of how the universe was essentially equivalent to a playground seesaw, a tremor ran through the hall. A sudden wave of vertigo made the room tilt at an impossible angle and I couldn’t stop a sharply audible intake of breath as I swayed. A steadying hand gripped my shoulder, the nausea fading almost as quickly as it had developed. I blinked a few times, seeing Dad’s brow pinched in concern as he glanced about the room.

“Dad?”

“I must go.” I heard him mutter, the corners of his mouth tightening. “You are beginning to return to the world of the living.”

“But-”

A hazel gaze snapped down to meet my own. An apologetic gaze. “I cannot keep you here any longer unless you wish to make your stay permanent.” Dad’s grip on my shoulder tightened. “Listen to me, Carter. You are on the right path. Find Ihy, get him to reveal to you Hathors  _ ren _ .”

I could only nod obediently, the room around us beginning to fade. I had a sudden thought and asked, “Wait- what about the feather?”

“Sadie will know what to do.”

A snort escaped me and I muttered, “I sincerely doubt that.”

Dad attempted a smile but it fell short, his eyes glistening. The second cataract had almost completely dissolved by now, and when he next spoke it was if I was hearing him from down a long tunnel. “Goodbye, Carter.” His voice echoed around me. “It was good to see you again. Say hello to your sister for me.”

“Wait-” I didn’t want him to go. Not again. “Dad- Don’t leave- I- Dad!”

But I was standing alone in the darkness.

I closed my eyes, hearing my heart pounding loud and fast, as if it was attempting to burst out of my chest and send me right back to the Halls of Judgement. Back to Dad. Back to the place where I didn’t have to worry about the fate of the world. Where each decision I made wasn’t bogged down by uncertainty. Exhaling shakily, I forced myself to take slow, methodical breaths, my heart’s erratic beating leveling out to a steady pulse. Time is weird in dreams, but after a few minutes which felt like an eternity, I felt calm enough to open my eyes.

The calm feeling didn’t last too long. I didn’t recognize my surroundings- and I wasn’t alone. Footsteps echoed on the metal deck and I tried to sit up, only to fall back to the ground in a very ungraceful heap (... don’t tell Sadie). The pounding in my head wasn’t helping any, every breath I drew into my lungs coming out in a ragged wheeze. I was in no condition to fight, and as the footsteps came to a stop, it was all I could muster to rise my head and look at the new arrival.

A tall girl with piercing black eyes glared down at me, obsidian hair drawn in a braid that hung over her shoulder. I must’ve hit my head in the crash because it  _ looked _ like she was wearing someone’s old drapes. The purple fabric looping over her shoulder was garnished with a gold eagle pin, the cloth cinched at her waist in a knot. Below the purple garment she was adorned in polished armor. The sharp angles of her face were beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. Rose colored lips turning down in a scowl as she spoke.

“Who in the Hell are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Carter meets... someone? Any guesses? ;)  
> No spoilers :P
> 
> As always I value every comment or critique and I thank each and every person who takes the time to leave their thoughts :) each one makes me smile. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and we'll find out what happens next on Monday!  
> <3


	16. Around the World in 8 Seconds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy is NOT dead (at least, he doesn't think he is), Sadie is mad at Anubis (big surprise), and Leo should NOT be giving nicknames to a fire elementalist.
> 
> Or: Zia saves the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Big thanks to Angellight36 for reminding me to post today! I had a very... eventful? weekend... that's one way to put it. The fire alarm in my building went off at 1:30 am (yes... in the morning) on Sunday and then I almost capsized my kayak later that day (not almost, I did) which gave me a heart attack because my phone is NOT waterproof, and today I had to run a welding lab for freshmen college kids.
> 
> So... yup. Posting had completely slipped my mind today- thanks for the reminder :D
> 
> Alright, enough about life- that's stuff's boring anyway.  
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Percy POV)**

Percy woke up in a graveyard.

His first thought:  _ If I’m dead, Annabeth’s gonna kill me _ .

His second:  _ This doesn't look like the Underworld _ . From what Percy knew, there were four main sections of the Underworld; The Isles of the Blest, Elysian, The Fields of Asphodel, and The Fields of Punishment. Having seen each one, he could safely conclude that no version of the Greek afterlife looked like a cemetery. Small white headstones stood in neat rows, criss-crossed in rigid patterns as stars twinkled overhead. In the distance, he could see a temple-like structure atop a hill with an american flag illuminated by a spotlight at the base of the flagpole.

So he wasn’t dead. At least, not yet.

The demigod took some comfort in that fact, the relief quickly overridden by a flood of new concerns.  _ Where am I? _ Percy frowned, beginning to take a closer look at his surroundings.  _ How did I get here? Where are the others? Why is my body purple? _

Percy had to do a double take at that last one, rubbing his eyes with a translucent purple hand before glancing back down at the rest of his see-through form. His body was aglow with a strong amethyst light, the color fluctuating as Ancient Greek letters stole across his skin, clashing into a set of words before breaking apart. As he watched the strange phenomenon, Percy found that he could briefly read some of the phrases. Some were single words, like  _ Minotaur, Fleece, Titan, Labyrinth  _ and _ Hero _ . Others were more complex lines, reading  _ Son of Poseidon, Head Counselor,  _ and  _ Savior of Olympus _ .

One phrase kept repeating itself over and over again, the letters glowing brighter than any of the others surrounding it. But before he could ponder what it meant, he heard a frustrated growl from his left.

“Well isn’t this just  _ peachy _ .”

The demigod glanced up to find that he was no longer alone in the graveyard. Sadie stood ten feet away, arms crossed angrily over her chest as she scowled up at the temple on the hill. Unlike him, the magician was still wearing her normal clothes, the frame of her solid body outlined in silver.

“Sadie?”

The blond’s head whipped around to stare at Percy, eyebrows rising in surprise. She stared at him for a long moment, mouth opening and closing. Finally she blinked, sapphire gaze narrowing in his direction.

“... What are you doing in my dream?”

“Your…” Percy looked around in confusion, “you dream about graveyards?”

“What? No- at least, not by choice.” Sadie gazed over the rows of white stubs. “Usually the only time I’m in a graveyard is because…” Her voice trailed off and she frowned. “Oh I am  _ so _ going to kill him.”

“Who?”

Instead of answering, the magician crossed her arms, glaring up at the sky. “Alright, get out here  _ Jackal Boy _ !”

“Jackal… Boy?” Percy was beyond confused now.

A movement in his peripherals caused the Son of Poseidon to turn, seeing a figure approaching them. It was the boy from the park, the one with all of the necklaces. Only… there was something off about his appearance. There was this hazy outline framing his body- a spectral border that Percy had a hard time focusing on. Everytime he tried, his head pounded in protest. The longer he looked, the clearer the outline became, and the more intense his headache got.

Taking a breath, Percy forced himself to focus on the outline as Walt approached them. It felt like Tyson was using the inside of his head as a punching bag, and the demigod was about to avert his gaze when the migraine suddenly receded.

Percy blinked, “What the…”

Superimposed on top of Walt’s body was the green transparent form of a dog-headed man. They moved in conjunction with one another; as Walt stopped in front of Sadie, so did the dog-man. The mouths of Walt and the spectral form moved in sync as twin voices- one slightly deeper than the other- spoke simultaneously.

“Sadie.” They greeted.

The blond narrowed her eyes, “ _ You _ -”

“Sadie, please listen to me.” Dog-Walt interrupted, raising a placating hand.

Sadie was far from placated. “You  _ refuse _ to help us stop an apocalypse-”

“That’s not what I-”

“-and then you pop into my head all willy-nilly.” Sadie accused.

Dog-Walt’s lips drew into a tight line. “We don’t have much time-”

“Then make the time,  _ Death Boy _ , because I have half a mind to-”

“Look Sadie, I know you’re mad-”

“Oh-ho,” The blond huffed, placing her hand on her hips in such a way that Percy was reminded of his mother; and how whenever she took that pose Percy usually found himself scrubbing dishes for a week afterwards. “Believe me, mad doesn’t even  _ begin _ to convey what I am. You  _ grounded _ my boyfriend!” Sadie shouted indignantly, poking Dog-Walt in the chest with her last statement.

“You misunderstand,” He replied, “I was only trying to protect my host. Nothing more.”

By this point, Percy had heard enough of the conversation to realize that sometimes the two tones of Dog-Walt’s voices weren’t overlapping. There were instances when Walt’s voice was the only one speaking, and times when the deeper tone- Dog-man, Percy assumed- was more prominent. At other times, it sounded like they were both speaking in unison. What it meant, the demigod couldn’t fathom, but it made for some weird vocal shifts during their argument; like a dissonant choir.

Having zoned out for a few seconds, Percy realized that the two magicians hadn’t stopped bickering, and he redirected his attention back to their conversation.

“- _ am _ trying to help you.” Walt was insisting. “Zia’s on her way-”

“Sending an elementalist to do your job now?” Sadie sneered.

“-because I need to help Jaz prep the infirmary.”

That sobered up the younger girl. Her mocking attitude all but vanished, replaced by a nervous worry. “...that bad, huh?” She said in a poor attempt at humor. Struck with a sudden thought, Sadie tensed, her voice laced with panic as she asked, “Is Carter okay?”

Walt’s gaze flicked to the side and Percy felt a rising sense of dread.

“I’m not sure.” Dog-Walt muttered.

Panic turned to anger and Sadie took a step towards her fellow magician. “What do you mean you’re  _ ‘not sure’ _ .”

“I mean that-”

_..rcy? _

The demigod frowned as Sadie and Walt’s conversation was smothered by another sound that echoed around the cemetery. Neither of the magicians took notice of the unusual disembodied voice. 

_ Percy… _

The echo sounded vaguely familiar to the demigod, but he couldn’t quite place it. As his focus shifted from the scene in the graveyard to deciphering this new voice, the graveyard blurred in his vision. Like a rock dropped into a still pond, the cemetery image rippled, the two magicians fading as the monotone hues of the graveyard swirled dizzyingly.

“Percy!”

It was a weird sensation to wake up from a dream  _ knowing _ that you were waking up from a dream. Percy had this strange self-awareness that he had to open his eyes, even though it felt like his eyes were already open. But open them he did, and after a moment of disorientation, he finally saw who’d drawn him from Sadie’s dream.

Leo looked like he’d lost a wrestling match with a tree. Twigs and leaves stuck out of his mop of hair in various places, two larger sticks pointing out at obscure angles that made it look like the kid had horns. Nervous flames flickered across his brown curls, his overall appearance looking like a low budget devil costume. A relieved smile cracked over his face upon seeing the older demigod return to consciousness.

“Leo?” Percy muttered, blinking away the last vestiges of disorientation. “What happened?”

The hispanic shrugged. “All I know is that the portal went boom, and the next thing I know I’m waking up upside down in a bush.”

“A bush?”

“A very thorny one.” Leo confirmed with a grimace, rubbing his rear end with one hand while he offered the other to Percy.

Accepting the help, the older demigod hauled himself off of the rough concrete, the sudden movement of standing causing the world to spin. Percy closed his eyes, feeling Leo’s hand grip his shoulder while he fought off the vertigo and a- unfortunately- familiar pain in his right side. When the nausea passed, the demigod frowned at his unfamiliar surroundings.

“Where are we?”

“Take a look.” Leo offered, gesturing to something behind Percy. The Son of Poseidon turned, then blinked a few times to make sure his eyes were working properly.  
“Is that…”

“The Washington Monument?” The Son of Hephaestus supplied, gazing up at the towering white obelisk. “Yes. Yes it is. Around the world in eight seconds.”

Percy had to take a step back to see the top of the monument, the tower stretching into the air like the world's largest toothpick. The height of the structure alone was impressive enough for Percy to regret not having taken Annabeth sooner; it was one of the places she’d suggested going to as a not-really-first-but-first normal date after the war with Gaea. It was a bit depressing to realize that most of his girlfriend’s visits to her architectural idols- the St. Louis Arc, Daedalus’ Workshop, Big Ben- were during monster fights. Multiple almost-explosions were not the way to celebrate his girlfriend’s hobby. 

With the thought came a startling realization and the demigod turned, frantically looking around the area. “Where’s Annabeth?” Percy barely kept the panic from his words. Percy was  _ so _ getting the ‘world’s worst boyfriend’ award. “We have to find her-”

“Dude,” Leo interrupted, “your girlfriend once bound her broken ankle with bubble wrap: wherever she is, she’ll be fine. More importantly: where’s my  _ ship _ !”

The Son of Poseidon could’ve happily strangled his fellow demigod. “... _ That’s _ what you’re worried about?” He growled.

“I value that ship more than tacos.” The mechanic said seriously, folding his arms. “But there’s nothing- not a mast or oar anywhere nearby. Just you, me, and Annabeth’s mini-me.” 

He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at where Sadie was laid out a few feet away. “But she’s running a fever and is even less responsive than you were.”

Percy frowned, his panic momentarily stalled as he moved to crouch besides the magician, placing a hand on Sadie’s forehead. Running a fever was putting it mildly, it felt like there was a heating pad cranked up to the max under her skin. The magician’s face was shockingly pale, and when Percy checked, he found that her pulse was feeble and sluggish.

“I’ve calculated the distance to the nearest hospital,” Leo said as he finished fidgeting with ABE. The mechanic then bent over to pick up their unconscious ally, bridal style. “We could be there within ten minutes of hailing a cab-”

“No need,” Percy stood, having seen a rapidly growing shape in the distance. “Help is already on the way.”

“What do you mean?” Leo frowned.

“Sadie’s dog-headed boyfriend sent someone to pick us up.”

“Right...” The mechanic narrowed his eyes at Percy. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head on the concrete? I think I might still have a few pieces of ambrosia-  _ what in Hades is that!” _

If he hadn’t seen it in Central Park, Percy would’ve had the same reaction to a winged eagle-headed lion landing on the lawn of the Washington Monument. The griffin’s feathers were a coppery tan color, the eyes like molten gold. The mythical creature opened its beak and the sound that emerged could hardly be described as a squawk. Instead, it sounded more like he was screeching the word ‘ _ FREAK _ ’ in a high pitched noise that caused both demigods to wince.

Tethered behind the creature was the boat, hooked up like some strange version of Santa’s sled. The ship hovered a few inches above the grass, the lights from the monument silhouetting the person at the reins. The figure in the boat dismounted in one fluid motion, striding purposefully towards the demigods.

The new arrival had jet black hair that was cut at an angle, the end tips touching the girl’s shoulders. Caramel colored skin was adorned with a light brown linen top, rings of gold lining the edges. She wore tight black leggings underneath the shirt, and a dark rope served as a makeshift belt, wrapping around her upper waist. High cheekbones completed the vaguely Arabic look, her dark red lips currently turned down in a scowl.

The staff she carried was little more than an elongated club, and as the magician spotted Sadie hanging limply between the two demigods her amber eyes narrowed, looking as if they might ignite. Coming to a halt, she leveled the heavier end of the wooden staff to point at Leo.

“Unhand her.” The magician demanded, the tip of her staff bursting into hot orange flames in a very impressive display of intimidation.

Leo was unimpressed. “Uh… If I do that she’s gonna fall.”

“Take it easy,” Percy lifted his hands to show they were empty. It felt a bit silly to be intimidated by the scariest version of the matchstick-girl he could imagine, but the demigod had seen enough Egyptian magic to know that it had a tendency to explode. Percy didn’t want to see what it would do if it started off already flaming.

“Are you Zia?” He asked.

The magician’s eyes flicked over to Percy, her tiki torch staff still aimed at Leo. “You know of me? Good. Then I need not explain the excruciating way in which you shall perish should you choose not comply with my request.”

As if to accent her threat, the intensity of her flames increased. Even standing a good fifteen feet away, Percy felt his skin prickle with sweat.

Leo snorted. “Lady please. I’ve made blowtorches scarier that that.” 

The magician’s focus returned to the mechanic. An eyebrow rose smoothly and she slowly returned her staff to a vertical position at her side. Before Percy could breath a sigh of relief, the magician spoke a word and the entire weapon erupted into a column of fire. The inferno swirled in a tight cyclone, quickly growing to half the height of the monument behind them.

Leo whistled, “Fancy.” Percy knew from experience the hispanic boy was being genuine this time, but with his previous comment it only seemed like more teasing. 

“Leo, shut up. Look,” He turned back to the elementalist, “we’re on the same side here. Walt sent you here to pick up Sadie, right? He’d be here himself except he’s helping prep the infirmary with someone named Jaz.”

The fire column diminished a little, which Percy took to be a good sign. The magician- Zia- gazed at him with cautious interest. “How do you know that? Are you a diviner?”

“No, I’m a demigod. Sadie told me.” He clarified, not  _ technically _ a lie. “And right now we need to get her to this sick bay you’re prepping.”

Zia hesitated, her lips drawing into a thin line. But then she conceded, the tower of flames dispersing into the air as she released the magic. She maintained a firm hold on her staff, however, as she crossed the small distance between them.

Even without the visual confirmation, Percy could see that Zia didn’t fully trust them. He sighed internally. He had  _ just  _ gotten the Kane siblings to work with him, and now there were  _ more  _ people he had to convince he wasn’t about to backstab. Seriously, was it something with his face? Did he just have a back-stabber looking kinda face?

As Zia assessed Sadie’s condition, her distrust morphed into an expression of shock, and then worry.

“She’s fading.” The magician stated.

“Fading?” Leo glanced at Annabeth’s mini-me with concern. “That can’t be good. What does fading mean?”

“It means we have to get her to the Brooklyn House.” Zia responded. “Quickly.”

“Taking a wild guess here,” Percy spoke up, “but isn’t the Brooklyn House in Brooklyn?”

The magician fixed Percy with a ‘well  _ duh _ ’ stare. “Yes.”

“That’s like, what, two hundred miles away?” Leo estimated. “Wouldn’t it be faster to take her to a hospital?”

“No hospital can heal this. As for your concern about the distance, we’ll be taking a shortcut.” Zia informed. She muttered a word, her staff shrinking until it was no bigger than a water bottle.

“We’re not traveling by portals again, are we?” Leo cautioned. “No offense, but it didn’t go so well last time.”

“Of course not.” Zia scoffed. “After they’ve been used, portals become inoperable for at least twenty four hours. We’ll be riding Freak.”

Upon hearing his name, the griffin’s head swiveled to stare at the two demigods. Its eyes blinked twice while the creature’s eagle beak snapped shut with enough force to shatter bones.

“O-On second thought.” Leo amended, gulping. “We’ll just take a taxi-”

“Get in.” The magician commanded, “Time is not something we have an unlimited supply of.”

After a moment of hesitation, Leo stepped aboard the boat, helping Zia position Sadie between two of the benches. Percy made to join them, getting his first real look at the vessel. As far as boats went, this one looked far less than sturdy; it was basically woven together from reeds and other coils of plant fiber, like a giant floating rug.

The night was chilly, but when Percy stepped on board the air grew comfortably warm.  _ Magic _ , was the only explanation his mind could conjure as he sat next to Leo. The other demigod was casting a critical eye around their vessel, muttering about a lack of support structures and the indeterminable integrity of the ship. Percy couldn’t help but agree with the Hispanic; he’d much rather be on the Argo III.

“Make sure you hold on.” Zia warned, gripping the reigns. “I won’t come back for you if you fall out.”

Percy and Leo exchanged a quick glance, the former shrugging as he held onto the low railing of the boat. At a word from the magician, the griffin rose into the air, it’s wings buzzing more like a bee’s than a birds. At another command from Zia, Freak went from a motionless hover to a sudden dash, the boat lurching after him as he flew. 

Percy now knew why Zia had warned him to hold on- the unexpected acceleration nearly threw him from his seat, his hold on the reeds the only thing stopping the demigod from falling overboard. Leo hadn’t fared as well, the jerky movement flinging the demigod from the bench. He would’ve tipped out of the basket- because there was  _ no _ way Percy was calling this flying contraption a boat- had it not been for the Son of Poseidon’s lightning reflexes. Percy’s arm shot out, hand latching onto the back of Leo’s toolbelt and yanking the younger demigod back into his seat.

The Son of Poseidon winced as his ribs were jostled from the sudden movement. And when Leo muttered his thanks, Percy could only nod, not trusting himself to speak. Zia had glanced back at the commotion, scoffing as Leo clutched onto the bench like a lifeline.

“I told you to hold on.” She said.

The wind tore at his clothes and, despite Percy’s initial doubts, once they got underway the boat stabilized, only rocking gently every so often as the griffin changed directions. Far beneath them, the lights of DC began to blur. Percy glanced over the side to see a thin veil of fog forming below.  _ We must be flying through a cloud _ , the demigod rationalized, although he hadn’t seen any in the clear night skies earlier. As he watched the glare from downtown DC become obscured, Percy felt his stomach clench and a slight queasiness settle in the pit of his stomach.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Percy scooted closer to the center of the boat. He refused to get motion sick. But the discomfort only grew as they entered the cloud bank, the whole ship completely submerged in the vaporous substance that Percy couldn’t even see the stars overhead. After a good thirty seconds, they emerged from the mist, the nausea subsiding as the lights of the skyline returned into view.

Only, it wasn’t the DC skyline anymore.

Percy rubbed at his eyes and looked again, but sure enough, there was the Empire State building illuminated by the New York lambent. But that was impossible- they had just been in Washington DC! Even riding the fastest pegasus in Camp Half-Blood it would’ve taken Percy a good hour or two to make the two-hundred mile trip. The demigod glanced up at Zia.

“How did you do that?” He hadn’t heard the magician cast any spell.

Zia looked at him from the corner of her eye, “Guessing you’ve never traveled by Duat before?”

Percy was about to answer when there was a loud retching noise. Glancing over his shoulder, the demigod saw that Leo was leaning over the edge of the boat- intentionally, this time- and from the awful noises he was making, Percy guessed that the mechanic wasn’t admiring the new view. Pery placed a sympathetic hand on the younger boy’s back. After another moment, Leo groaned, wiping an oil rag over his mouth as he recovered from his position.

“I hate magic.” He grumbled. “Are we there yet?”

“We’re close.” Zia answered.

The boat glided over the East River, slowing as they neared a small fishing dock on the Brooklyn side of the river. Behind the port was an industrial yard filled with piles of scrap metal and old construction equipment. In the center of the mess, right at the water’s edge, rose a huge factory warehouse heavily painted with graffiti. Every window was boarded up with rotting plywood.

“That’s not a house.” Leo pointed out.

There was something off about the entire area; the whole scrapyard was in clear focus, but the warehouse structure itself was slightly blurry. Percy rubbed at his eyes with a frown and looked again but the haze remained. The sensation was vaguely familiar and it only took a few seconds for the demigod to recognize why.

He’d had the same kind of sensation during the cemetery dream when he’d looked at the dog-man. Now knowing what he had to do, Percy stared at the warehouse, ignoring the onset of a headache as something shimmered into view on the warehouse roof. As with the dream, as soon as the pounding in his skull became almost unbearable, the headache retracted. That’s when he saw it. A five story mansion perched on top of the warehouse, like another layer of the cake.

“That’s the Brooklyn House?” Percy asked, studying the tall structure, “It’s… small.” The whole building was only slightly larger than the Big House back at Camp.

Zia glared at the demigod but remained silent.

Leo, however, raised his eyebrow at Percy, “Dude, that’s not a house, it’s just an old, run down factory.”

“No, it’s on top of the warehouse. I’m  _ serious _ , Leo.” Percy insisted at the incredulous look given by the younger demigod. “You just have to look.  _ Really _ look.”

“I  _ am _ really looking, Waterboy.” Leo retaliated, his gaze flickering over to warehouse for a few seconds before they shifted away. “There’s nothing there.”

“No, you have to-” Percy sighed in frustration. “Just look on top of the warehouse, where that haze is, and don’t look away.”

“Percy-”

“Humor me, Leo.” Percy interrupted.

With a roll of his eyes, Leo fixed his stare on the roof of the abandoned building. After a good half minute the Son of Poseidon could see the scrunch of discomfort between the younger demigods eyebrows. Zia looked back at them with curious interest. At the one minute mark, Leo’s gaze began to slide away as he said, “I don’t see how-”

“ _ Leo _ .” Percy snapped, channeling his inner ‘senior camper’ tone. “Look. At. The. Warehouse.”

Grudgingly the Son of Hephaestus complied, grumbling to himself about the absurdity of it all. Moments later, his forehead unfurrowed and his eyes widened.

“Whoa-” Leo blinked a few times. “That wasn’t there before, was it?” He asked, glancing over at Percy.

“It’s warding magic.” Zia answered from the front of the boat, looking substantially impressed. “ _ Strong _ warding magic. I’m surprised you were able to see through it without breaking your mind.”

“Ha ha, ‘breaking our minds’. That’s a good one.” Leo’s grin faltered when the magician didn’t reply. “That  _ was  _ a joke, right?”

Zia twitched the reins, sending Freak into a shallow dive towards the roof of the mansion. Within seconds they’d landed, setting down next to a large pyramid structure. Freak’s head swiveled to stare at the boat occupants as if to say:  _ Well, we’re here. You can get off now _ . Percy took stock of their surroundings as he disembarked, seeing a ramshackle manger at one end of the rooftop and the entrance to a stairwell at the other.

Leo and Zia had just maneuvered Sadie out of the boat when the door to said stairwell burst open. The kid from the graveyard dream- Walt- emerged, taking approximately seven rushed steps towards the boat before stopping abruptly. His brow furrowed in utter confusion as he looked between the two demigods and Percy guessed that, like Zia, Walt hadn’t expected to see them. An audible groan from Sadie snapped Walt from his stupor, focus shifting back to the unconscious magician.

“Sadie…” The whispered word slipped from Walt’s lips. Apprehension filled his face as he took in her condition. “Here, let me-” Walt said, moving to take his girlfriend. 

Zia stepped out of his reach and towards the stairwell. “I got her.”

“But-”

“ _ Walt _ .” Zia’s tone had a hard edge to it as she looked pointedly from her fellow magician to the two demigods. “You have bigger problems. I’ll take Sadie, you deal with them.”

Walt opened his mouth to argue but hesitated. If Percy had to choose between loyalty and leadership- making sure Annabeth was okay or dealing with the strange newcomers- he’d be conflicted too. After a moment, Walt sighed, nodding to the black-haired elementalist.

“Jaz is waiting for her in the infirmary.” He said, watching them leave before taking a breath and turning his attention back to the demigods. Walt’s expression had hardened, the magician all business as he asked, “So… what exactly happened?”

“We were trying to escape from a monster,” Percy began. “And in order to do so, Carter and Sadie opened a portal above Big Ben-”

“The clocktower?” Walt interjected with a frown. “Why would they do that? It’s not even an egyptian symbol of power.”

Leo shrugged, yawning into his hand. “Desperate times call for crazy plans.”

“There weren’t many other options,” Percy added, explaining how when they entered the portal something seeed to go wrong.

“It sounded like a pipe bomb going off.” Leo detailed. “And the next thing I know I’m waking up in a bush on the outskirts of the Washington Monument.”

Walt’s brows were furrowed and he shook his head. “I’ve never heard of a portal malfunctioning. Did you notice anything strange about it? Sounds or sights? Weird smells?” He pressed.

Leo snorted, “It was a giant vortex of sand over a clock tower that we passed through on a giant flying mechanical boat before being spat out halfway around the world.” The mechanic paused to yawn again before concluding, “You tell me what part of that  _ isn’t _ strange.”

Walt looked over the two demigods, taking in their tired stances and battle worn clothes. “Apologies, you’re both clearly exhausted. We have guest rooms you can rest in tonight, and tomorrow we’ll try and figure out what went wrong.”

Walt led them down the stairs and down a series of corridors that Percy wasn’t paying much attention to. He was focused more on the fact that his ribs were beginning to throb uncomfortably. The more he moved, the more they protested and the demigod could only hope he hadn’t broken anything. The demigod hadn’t remembered taking such a hard hit in the earlier battle; then again, in the adrenalin filled throes of battle it wasn’t impossible for him to have ignored the wound. Or maybe he’d gotten injured when he’d landed in DC.

“Your rooms are adjoining.” Walt explained, pulling Percy from his musings as he stopped in front of a pair of doors. “They each have a personal bathroom and shower, the latter of which I suggest you use.”

“Again?” Leo half-groaned, half-whined. “But I just showered two days ago!”

Walt’s nose scrunched but he wisely decided not to comment, instead saying, “We’ll meet in the Great Room tomorrow morning. It’s just down the stairs at the end of this hallway.” He elaborated, gesturing in the direction.

It wasn’t until he actually saw a bed that Percy realized just how tired he was; sure he’d slept through the Sphinx attack, but that was because he’d been sick from the healing potion. Since waking up he’d fought the mages of the Ninth Nome with a lot more godly-powers than he’d expected  _ and _ ridden a humongous flying serpent rodeo-bull style within the last twelve hours. He was ready for a nap. 

The door swung softly behind him on well oiled hinges. As soon as Walt was out of sight the Son of Poseidon straightened and moved to the bathroom mirror, cautiously pulling up his shirt to look at the growing bruise on his right side. It was already an ugly green and purple and he hissed quietly as he poked it. Definitely a cracked rib. Or three. He’d had worse.

He lowered the shirt again cautiously, not wanting anyone to walk in and see the injury. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the Egyptians, it was just that it was an unnecessary distraction. He and Leo didn’t have enough ambrosia to spare for something so trivial, and he wasn’t going to risk being sidelined again because of the Egyptian healing-potions backfiring. A good rest and maybe a day free from monster-attacks should put him back to normal. 

At the thought he looked back at the bed that Walt had said was his for the night. He would have happily taken a cot, but Percy’s eyes drooped dangerously at the large featherbed that dominated the room. Not even bothering to kick off his shoes, the Son of Poseidon flopped spread-eagle atop the blankets and was asleep almost immediately. 

When he woke up, the sun had passed its aerial midpoint. At first, Percy thought the clock on the wall was just fast; there was no  _ way _ he’d slept through the entire morning. But a quick glance out the window at the sunny Manhattan skyline in the distance confirmed otherwise.

Percy stood with a stretch, looking around the room to find that someone had laid out a set of clean clothes on the desk pushed against the opposite wall. It was the same kind of white linen outfit Carter had been wearing at the museum, only this pair was notably larger. Taking a not-so-subtle whiff of his current outfit Percy had to agree with Walt’s earlier statement, and knowing his girlfriend as he did, the Son of Poseidon knew Annabeth would concur.

Annabeth. Percy’s gut twisted at the realization that he still had no idea what had happened to her. For all he knew she could be- Percy shook his head sharply.  _ No _ . He told himself,  _ don’t even start down that rabbithole _ .  _ Annabeth’s fine, she  _ has _ to be. We’ll find her _ .

And with that resolve, Percy moved to take a shower before changing into the linen clothes. The warm water did wonders for the demigod, and not just because he was in desperate need of some shampoo. His ribs throbbed less the longer he stayed in the shower, but unlike a natural spring or the ocean, it took a good half-hour for his ribs to even  _ start _ feeling better. At the forty-five minute mark, the shower water was losing its heat, and Percy decided that he’d healed enough for the time being. He still had to figure out where Annabeth was, and a part of Percy felt guilty about having wasted half of the day asleep.

As he made to pull on the shirt he paused to assess his injury. The ugly bruise had faded noticeably, and Percy guessed that the major damage had been taken care of. After he was fully clothed Percy uncapped his pen, testing his range of motion with the wound, quickly finding that lunges and overhead blows were not good at the moment.

He grimaced, making a mental note to take another long shower tomorrow, and lowered his sword almost immediately, wincing when he heard the tip catch on a curtain. Barely a nick in the fabric, upon closer inspection; so he didn’t really count as being a poor guest, but he still wasn’t going to tell his mom about it anytime soon. 

Surprisingly, the breathable linen of his borrowed outfit had in no way restricted his combat technique. Satisfied with the discovery, the Son of Poseidon capped Riptide and pocketed the pen before heading out.

Recalling Walt’s instructions from the previous night, Percy traveled the length of the hallway, reaching the end to find that he was now standing on a balcony-like overhang that half-ringed the lower floors. The room the landing overlooked was undoubtedly the Great Room. Stone pillars spanned four stories to support a cedar ceiling, each support column detailed with hieroglyphs. Dominating the center of the room was a huge, black marble statue, one with the body of a man and the head of a bird that Percy could only describe as a starved flamingo.

A large flat screen TV hung over a fireplace that was big enough to park a car in and twin leather sofas flanked a snakeskin rug. As he studied the space, Percy noticed that the room was occupied by their hosts. Walt perched on the edge of one of the couches while Zia was pacing back and forth on the rug articulating her words with hand gestures every so often. As he made his way down the flight of stairs Percy was able to make out what they were discussing.

“-scryed for Carter all night and I didn’t find a trace of him.” Zia sounded agitated as she turned, continuing to pace. “I couldn’t even  _ sense _ his magic, Walt. Which means he’s either completely drained and defenseless or he’s…” She didn’t finish the thought.

“…  _ or _ something may be cloaking his presence.” Walt’s tone was much more calm as he tried to reason with his fellow magician.

“Either way, I’m going to find him.”

Walt ran a hand down his face, letting out a long sigh. “Zia, we don’t have enough people to mount any kind of search and rescue mission.”

Zia’s head snapped to the older boy. “Then I’ll go alone.”

“Look, I’m worried too.” Walt stood, crossing his arms, “But I need you here. At least until Sadie gets back on her feet.”

Zia was about to retort when her eyes flicked to Percy, noticing him for the first time. Her lips pressed in a tight line, the action prompting Walt to turn around. The Son of Poseidon could see dark circles under the eyes of the male magician and Percy wondered if Walt had gotten any sleep himself; if first impressions were anything to judge by, chances were good that he’d stayed with Sadie all night.

“You’re awake,” Walt noted. “How are you feeling?”

“Rested.” Percy said truthfully. “How’s Sadie?

“Better.” Walt said, “Jaz managed to stabilize her, but it’ll be  awhile before  she’s well enough to wake.”

The demigod nodded, looking at Zia. “You said something about Carter being missing?”

The magician narrowed her eyes. “If you know where he is-”

“I don’t.” Percy hastily assured. “But wherever he is he might be with Annabeth and the Argo II. Annabeth’s a demigod, and the Argo is a flying ship,” He elaborated at Zia’s confused look. “They were both with us when we went through the portal, but we couldn’t find a trace of her or the ship in DC.”

“It’s possible that they ended up in the same place.” Walt understood with a nod, “The only question is where.”

Percy didn’t have an answer for that, but thankfully he was saved from speaking as Leo came bounding down the stairs. Leo looked more well rested than he had during the entire time Percy had known the hispanic. Cleaner too, the Son of Poseidon noticed. The mechanic having showered and changed into a similar white outfit, his signature toolbelt the only thing offsetting the pristine look.

“I haven’t slept that good in  _ ages _ .” Leo said as he walked up to them.

Percy snorted. “More like you haven’t  _ slept _ in ages.”

“That too.” The mechanic admitted with a grin.

“Glad to hear it.” Walt said, returning the smile and offering his hand to the demigod. “I don’t believe we’ve met yet.”

Leo shook, saying, “Leo Valdez. Son of Hephaestus, mechanic, and genius extraordinaire.”

Zia tsked, rolling her eyes as Walt chuckled.

“Walt Stone, second in command here at the Twenty-First Nome.” He introduced before tilting his head towards Zia, “This is-”

“Zia Rashid.” The younger magician cut in . “Elementalist.”

Leo smirked. “Girl on fire, right?”

Zia glared at the demigod, but after a glance at Walt she sighed. “I apologize for threatening to incinerate you.” She said, not sounding at all apologetic.

Percy shrugged. “No hard feelings, people try and kill me all the time.”

“And I’m fireproof, so no worries there.” Leo added with a grin, earning two perplexed glances from the magicians.

Before any more could be said, there was a multi-colored flash of light between the two groups. A circular haze emitted from the rainbow, the transparent mist quickly growing to the size of a small, ovular mirror. Percy recognized the phenomenon instantly while the two magicians leapt away from the apparition, Zia summoning her staff as Walt’s hand snapped up to one of his many necklaces.

“What’s going on?” Walt demanded, eyeing the mist warily.

“I’m getting a phone call.” Percy smiled.

Relief blossomed in his chest at the thought of seeing Annabeth; no doubt his girlfriend had been just as worried to have been separated. The edges of the Iris message rippled as the image of the caller formed: A black braid and onyx eyes shimmering into existence. The purple toga wearing girl was frowning at Percy, her lips pressed in a tight line.

“Reyna?” Percy’s eyebrows rose, his smile vanishing.

“Jackson.” Reyna replied in kind. “I just saved your girlfriend.  _ Again _ .” The roman demigod announced, sounding as if doing so was a chore. “Care to explain why she showed up in a fiery explosion in front of the Luxor hotel with a  _ different _ guy?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Whew... and I thought acetylene welding was dangerous... Leo- piece of advice- do NOT anger the fire elementalist.
> 
> And Percy has some explaining to do to a certain Centurion.
> 
> That's all for now! Until Wednesday!  
> <3


	17. RIP- Recover In Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Egyptian Magician in the Roman Camp Jupiter... what could possibly go wrong???
> 
> Or: The one in which Hazel is very confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Wednesday! Halfway through the week- woohoo!  
> And yes, you read the summary right: Hazel is in this one :) We are expanding the cast of this story faster than Sadie makes poor decisions.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Hazel POV)**

Hazel was sick to death about death. Even before she had been revived from the underworld, the Roman demigod Daughter of Pluto had always had the ability to sense death. Things that were dead, things that were dying, things that were deadly. It all gave off this dark, depressing aura that only Hazel could perceive.

But just because she was the equivalent of a living Grim Reaper didn’t mean that she needed to be called to the healing tent every  _ single _ time someone stubbed their toe. And yet, here Hazel was, being woken at the ungodly hour of o-dark-thirty to the insistent nudging of Ellis, a young healer with wavy blond hair pulled back in a tight bun.

“What, did someone find out the hard way which end of the sword is the hilt?” Hazel grumbled as she pulled on her sneakers. The Daughter of Apollo shot the Daughter of Pluto a glare.

“Reyna is the one who called for you, not Tyler.” Ellis informed, referencing the Head Healer and crossing thin arms across her light tan medic scrubs. “She says it’s urgent.”

With a huff, Hazel stood, following her fellow demigod out of the Fifth Cohort Barracks, both females doing their best to move silently as to not wake the other campers. On their way out, Hazel noted that her Co-Centurion, Dakota, was nowhere to be seen. Despite the outward display of annoyance at being woken, a portion of Hazel’s gut twisted with apprehension: Reyna wouldn’t call a meeting of the Cohorts in the middle of the night if not for something extremely important. The Centurions were typically allocated undisturbed sleeping arrangements- as the leaders were the few demigods who woke early and worked well into the night to ensure the camp’s everyday functions ran smoothly.

There were five Cohorts total within the ranks of Camp Jupiter, each group being led by a single Centurion. Typically, the only time that Centurions were replaced was when one either stepped down, was challenged by another member of the Cohort, or was deemed unfit to lead by a Preator. As the former Fifth Cohort Centurion had not been stripped of his rank, Hazel and Dakota became Co-Centurions; with Dakota remaining the senior of the two. Most decisions about Cohort activities were deferred to him, and when meetings were called, the majority of the other Centurions seemed to forget that the Fifth Cohort had a second leader. Hazel often found herself fading into the background, not so much ignored as merely forgotten.

Unlike a typical Roman demigods, Hazel didn’t mind the lack of attention. Any other camper would have demanded to be given the proper respect, or would have outright challenged their Co-Centurion for complete control of the position. But not Hazel. Having been pulled from her time, the Daughter of Pluto had never been fond of the spotlight.

Unfortunately, when you were dating one Preator and had the respect of the other, avoiding the spotlight became as difficult as avoiding the sun. While her title may not be as well-recollected by the other campers, Hazel smiled inwardly that Reyna, at least, had remembered to include her.

The lights of New Rome twinkled like stars across the surface of the lake as Hazel and Ellis traversed the grounds. At this hour Camp Jupiter was bereft of activity, the only movement being that of the sentries patrolling the grounds and enforcing the curfew. Ellis led her towards the grove of buildings in the main area of the camp, the Roman architecture lit by everlasting torches mounted to the entrances. But to the Centurion’s surprise, their path diverted towards the healers tent.

The healers tent was always active- the sheer size of Camp Jupiter’s population ensured that the infirmary beds never stayed vacant for long. But as the Daughter of Pluto neared the tent she could see that there was more bustle than usual tonight: The tan clothed healers moving about with an air of urgency rarely seen during times of relative calm. As far as Hazel knew there hadn’t been any abnormal monster attacks recently, so her apprehension only grew to see how busy the medics were.

The fresh, open air was replaced with the scent of antiseptic and rubbing alcohol as Hazel entered the tent. Once inside it was easy for the demigod to spot the royal purple toga, the Daughter of Pluto making her way to the back of the infirmary where the majority of the activity was.

Reyna wasn’t alone, the Preator ringed by a small group that Hazel quickly recognized as the other Centurions from the Twelfth Legion. The small gathering was deep in conversation, speaking in hushed tones as a louder voice addressed the assembled group. Hazel spotted Dakota near the edge of the circle, nursing a water bottle filled with a red liquid that Hazel would bet her life on was supersaturated sugary Kool Aid.

“Approximately sixty-three minutes prior,” The Preator was saying, “there was a disturbance over downtown Las Vegas. According to witnesses there was a glowing blue ellipse that formed above the city before a large object dropped out of it. Myself, along with Frank, Michael, and Larry dispatched to investigate.”

“What was it?” One of the Centurions opposite of Hazel asked.

Reyna’s eyes flicked in annoyance at the interruption but she let it slide continuing on. “What we discovered were two injured demigods. Greek demigods.” Reyna clarified, the Centurions around Hazel casting nervous glances at one another. “One of them appeared to be critically injured, the other had suffered a minor concussion.” The Preator hesitated for the briefest moment before continuing. “Neither were conscious when we arrived and we will be providing them sanctuary here at Camp Jupiter until they’ve recovered.”

At this point, Michael took up the mantle, speaking in his deep voice. “We still don’t know what caused the injuries, so as of now the Camp is on alert. Until we know for sure that the danger has passed, each Cohort will be required to patrol a section of the borders.”

A collective groan rose from the assembled leaders.

“The squadrons will be in groups of three,” Reyna snapped, her authoritative command silencing the Centurions. “Rotated out in four hour shifts. Cohorts with smaller populations will be supplemented by the larger ones so that each group is equally well-rested. Until I say otherwise, normal camp activities are to be postponed.”

Despite the situation, one of the Centurions couldn’t suppress a whine. “Even the Colosseum Championship?”

“Yes.” Reyna ground out through tight lips. “The Camp’s safety takes priority. The first round of patrols will meet by the Principia in an hours time. Do not be late. Dismissed.”

As the group disbanded, the Preator turned, eyes lighting on Hazel.

“You’re here. Good.”

“I would have been here sooner,” Hazel explained, “had someone informed me of the meeting-”

“The meeting was not for someone of your talents.” Reyna waved a dismissive hand. “I need you for another, more pressing matter.”

Hazel followed the Preator to the far end of the medical bay, where a curtain had been drawn to provide privacy. There was a pervasive sensation lingering in the air, one that grew stronger with every step that drew them closer to the divider. The volume of noise increased steadily, Hazel quickly seeing why as Reyna pushed past the cloth barrier.

There were only two occupied cots in the sectioned off part of the infirmary; and yet Hazel was physically assaulted by the overwhelming presence of death as she stepped into the back area. The Daughter of Pluto pulled up short, sucking in a breath as she searched for the source.

The strongest pull was from a cot partially ringed by healers. Tucked beneath the thin white sheet was Leo. Only… it wasn't Leo. For one, he was younger than her hispanic friend, and his skin was marginally darker. Hazel pushed past the healers, ignoring their grumbles as she stared down at the young, curly brown haired boy. The kid’s face and shirt were soaked in sweat, eyes darting beneath closed eyelids. His breath came quick and shallow, as if he couldn’t inhale enough air to support his lungs.

“-need more water.” A healer Hazel recognized as Head Healer Tyler was saying. “He’s burning up.”

As one of the younger medics rushed out to complete the assigned task, Hazel stepped in to fill the void next to the Head Healer. As she stepped closer to the Leo-look-alike boy, the Daughter of Pluto could feel his life force waning and Hazel knew that if something wasn’t done soon, the kid would end up meeting her godly parent.

“What happened.” Hazel demanded, rounding to face her Preator.

Reyna folded her arms across her armor. “As I said before, there was a blue flash of light above central Las Vegas. When we arrived, we found Annabeth and this other demigod among the wreckage-”

“Wreckage?” Hazel frowned. “You didn’t say anything about a wreckage.”

The Preator’s lips tightened. “I did not wish to alarm any of the Centurions.” She explained, “But the Greek demigods crash landed on a ship nearly identical to the one that assaulted our camp at the start of the war. Annabeth probably sustained her head wound upon impact, as there were no other distinct injuries. As for the boy-” Reyna’s eyes flicked to the subject. “We’re not sure what ails him. He was conscious when we arrived, but only briefly. He has no external wounds to speak of, aside from a few bruises. That’s why I called you.”

“Me?” Hazel was confused. “Why? What do you expect me to do, I’m not a healer.”

“No,” Reyna agreed, “But you can sense death, can you not?”

Hazel nodded.

“Then you are to stay with Tyler. Inform him of any changes- for better or worse- with the boy’s condition. For whatever reason, neither ambrosia or nectar have produced the desired effect.”

Hazel felt her eyes widen. “Is he a-”

“Mortal? No. If he were, the food of the gods would’ve killed him instantly.” The Preator’s onyx eyes roved over the sickly boy with hesitant curiosity. “But for now, Tyler has insisted on using herbal medicines only.”

“So you basically need me to be a human EKG machine?” The roman demigod tried to keep the disappointment from her voice at the realization that- once more- she was tasked with the lesser of the Centurion duties.

“In layman's terms.” Reyna nodded, her expression turning serious once more. “I need you to help keep them alive. Whatever reason they have for coming here, I can’t suspect is is a good one. And we’ll have no way of finding out if they end up in the Underworld.”

The Daughter of Pluto looked over at the unconscious form of Annabeth, she hadn’t seen the Daughter of Athena since the war with Gaea, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still friends. If their situations were reversed, Hazel knew she would be able to count on her fellow demigod. Turning back to her Preator, Hazel nodded.

“I’ll do whatever I can.”

As it so happened, ‘whatever she could’ entailed sitting on a chair between the two cots and staying out of the healers way.

As many times as she’d been in the healers tent- for her own sake or for others- Hazel had never seen Tyler work as hard as he did now. The sandy haired Son of Apollo scurried around with an energy he normally reserved for tournaments; when the Head Healer  _ knew _ there would be multiple casualties and had to prepare all sorts of salves and poultices in order to save their limited supply of nectar and ambrosia for the more severe injuries.

Annabeth had stabilized quickly, a few sips of nectar and an ice bag for her head being all the treatment necessary for the older girl’s recovery. The boy was a different story. Throughout the night, Hazel felt the shroud of death around him wax and wane, always fluctuating on the thin borderline between life and what came after.

There was one scary moment when the Daughter of Pluto sensed a sudden surge in death’s presence, the boy’s life force hanging on by a literal thread. Hazel had shouted to Tyler who’d rushed over and laid his hands on the boy’s chest and forehead. Closing his eyes, a soft white glow emanated from the Son of Apollo’s palms. Tyler braced himself in that position for a good five minutes before the light faded and the Head Healer collapsed into a nearby chair, panting.

Whatever he’d done had worked, the injured boy now stabilized. The pulse of his life force was consistent- still weak, but steady and unvarying.

“That was great! Do it again-” Hazel’s words died on her lips as she took in the state of the Head Healer. Tyler looked as though he’d just run a decathalon after pulling two all-nighters. “Are you okay?”

The Son of Apollo waved aside her concerned words. “Fine. Just... need to rest for a bit.”

“What…did you do?” Hazel ventured.

Tyler offered her a tired smile. “One of Apollo’s many godly gifts is the ability to heal. It’s a rare trait to find among his children, but not unheard of. I was one of the few lucky enough to be blessed with that ability.”

Hazel felt a twinge of jealousy, what she wouldn’t give to have a useful power like that, but the girl quickly pushed the emotion aside. “That’s amazing! Why don’t you use it all the time?”

“It’s draining, for one.” Tyler explained, wiping sweat from his brow. “For another, it’s not so much healing as  _ transferring  _ the pain from another onto oneself. There’s only so much I can take before becoming incapacitated.”

“Oh.” Hazel dropped her eyes to the cot. The presence of death was receding slowly, painstakingly slowly, but she could sense that it  _ was _ fading. “Well, whatever you did, it worked. His body’s starting to heal on its own now.”

“Good.” Tyler stood, yawning. “We’ll still need to monitor him. I could do with a bit of shut eye, though. I can send Ellis over if you need a break, too.” It was more of a hinted suggestion than an offer.

But Hazel shook her head. “I’ll watch them.”

Tyler shrugged. “Suit yourself, I’ll tell Ellis to check on you every half hour or so, just in case.” After her nod of agreement, the Head Healer disappeared to the other side of the curtained off area, leaving Hazel to her vigil.

The hours passed by slowly, and despite Hazel’s resolve to focus on her task, the demigod found her mind wandering. Every few minutes the Daughter of Pluto would glance over at the Daughter of Athena and get lost in reminiscence. She hadn’t seen the Greek demigod since their final battle against Gaea; had it really only been a year ago? Time had moved quickly after their victory. Hazel and Frank had gone back to Camp Jupiter, hailed as heroes among the Roman demigods. After the battle with the giants, Frank had been elected Preator and Hazel had gained the Co-Centurion position at the Fifth Cohort.

With the new title, and the small fact that the Daughter of Pluto was officially dating the new Preator, Son of Mars, Hazel had become somewhat of a celebrity among the girls of Camp Jupiter. Half of them admired her new standing while the other half were jealous of the same. The Daughter of Pluto found herself absently wondering if Annabeth had gone through something similar while dating Percy Jackson. Then again, probably not. The Daughter of Athena was a senior member of the Greek camp after all.

“They still alive?”

Hazel started as she was pulled from her musings, turning in her chair to see Ellis peeking through the dividing curtain, an eyebrow raised. The Daughter of Pluto looked back at the injured boy to confirm that he hadn’t deteriorated in the last half hour.

“Yeah. Yeah, they’re okay.” She replied after a moment.

“Great.” Ellis flashed her a brief smile before retreating to the other side of the sectioned off area, the linen curtain rustling with her departure.

With a sigh, Hazel settled herself deeper into the stiff chair. It was going to be a long night.

At some point before dawn the Daughter of Pluto must’ve nodded off, because the next thing she knew, Hazel was being woken with a gentle shake of her shoulders. Opening bleary eyes, Hazel looked up to see a boy with the physique of a football jock- tall, close cropped black hair, and deep brown eyes- smiling down warmly at her.

Frank Zhang offered her the steaming bowl he was cradling in one hand. “You missed lunch.”

As if on cue, the Daughter of Pluto’s stomach rumbled at the recognizable scent- shrimp gumbo. Her favorite. Hazel stretched her cramped muscles from the awkward sleeping position, suppressing a yawn as she moved to accept the meal.

Her eyes drifted towards the edges of the tent, seeing the vibrant green grass bathed in sunlight. “What time is it?” She asked with a muted frown.

“Almost noon.” Frank sat on the edge of Annabeth’s cot, resting his elbows on his knees as the metal frame creaked slightly under the unexpected weight. His Preator robe hung loosely over his purple camp T-shirt. Hazel could just see the bottom of the SPQR tattoo peeking out from underneath the short sleeves, the two thick black lines stretched across his upper forearm muscles like small ribbons.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come check on you sooner.” Frank continued, watching as his girlfriend scarfed down the gumbo. “After the incident, Reyna told me to start sorting through the Greek’s stuff to see if we could figure out what happened while she called the Centurions.”

From Franks muted tone Hazel figured their search proved fruitless. “Did you find anything?” She inquired anyway.

“Kind of?” The Son of Mars shook his head. “There was this shoulder bag with them, but it had some pretty odd stuff inside.”

“Odd how?”

“Like… unusual. Even for demigod standards.” Frank scratched the back of his head absently. “There were large clumps of wax, a bag of chalk, rope, some odd looking necklaces, a couple of scrolls, a book, and a half-empty gatorade.” Hazel had to agree that those were a decidedly odd combination of tools. “None of us could read the scrolls, they were in some foreign language that definitely wasn’t latin. Anyway,” Frank continued, waving aside the strangeness of the satchel contents, “after the meeting, Reyna and I spent the rest of the night setting up shifts and sectioning off patrol areas and routes. We worked through breakfast, and when you didn’t show for lunch I got worried.”

“Dey ‘ood’e wok’n ‘e.” Hazel muttered around a mouthful of seafood and rice.

Her boyfriend cocked an amused eyebrow. “Tyler said you’d say that. When I came looking for you, he told me that you’d only nodded off a few hours ago, and that he’d made an executive decision to let you rest up. Doctors orders, and all.” The Son of Mars joked lightly.

Hazel swallowed, feeling touched at her fellow camper’s concern, and yet somehow annoyed. “Still…”

“Rest assured,” A third voice interjected. “If I’d needed your assistance, I would have woken you.” Hazel turned to see half of Tyler’s upper body peeking from around the curtain. The Head Healer shifted his gaze to Frank. “Reyna says she wanted to speak to you- something about an Iris Message?”

Besides her, Frank sat up in surprise. “It’s about time.” Hazel heard him grunt under his breath, then, louder, “Thanks, Tyler. I’ll head there in a second.”

The Head Healer nodded, sending the couple a conspiratorial wink. “Sure thing, just keep it PG back here.” And before either of them could respond he vanished behind the barrier.

Hazel felt her face flush red at her fellow campers implication- so what if she and Frank had made public displays of affection in the past? It wasn’t ever anything beyond hand holding, hugs, and a passionate kiss here and there. Normal boyfriend-girlfriend things. She hadn’t…. They hadn’t… Shaking her head to rid herself of that train of thought, Hazel instead focused on a different topic.

The Daughter of Pluto turned to Frank, noticing the flush in his cheeks as well as she asked, “So… who are you and Reyna messaging?”

“We’ve been trying to reach Percy ever since last night.” Frank replied, his posture relaxing at the subject change. “Try and see if he knows anything about all of this.” He swept an arm over the two occupied cots.

Hazel nodded at the wisdom of that course of action. “Guess you’d better get going then.”

Instead of answering, Frank brushed a stray strand of bushy hair from Hazel face and bent down for a kiss. Hazel’s heart fluttered as it always did whenever their mouths met, the world around her narrowing until it was just the two of them. After a moment, their lips parted, and Frank granted her another one of his soft smiles.

“I’ll see you soon.” He whispered to her. Hazel watched her boyfriend leave the tent, feeling the flush return as she waved a farewell. The Daughter of Pluto stared after him for a moment longer, still lost in the unexplainably light feeling in her chest.

A polite cough brought her out of her stupor. From behind, a voice laden with fatigue but still characteristically amused said, “Well that was adorable.”

“Annabeth!” The Daughter of Pluto whirled to find the Greek Demigod grinning up at her tiredly with storm grey eyes. Hazel shifted slightly under the older girl’s gratifying look, her cheeks flaming once more. “H-how long have you been awake?”

“Long enough to see that you and Frank are still good friends.” The Daughter of Athena replied, wiping a hand across her eyes to rid them of sleep. “Did I hear you guys say something about Percy? Or was that just part of my dream.”

The Daughter of Pluto nodded hesitantly, “Yes. It seems Reyna’s been trying to get in contact with him all morning.”

Annabeth’s features twisted in confusion. She opened her mouth, paused, then closed it again; brows colliding together on her face like two merging storm fronts. After taking another moment in silence to fully absorb her surroundings, the Daughter of Athena looked back at the Roman demigod.

“Percy’s not here.”

It was as much a question as it was a statement from the older girl. Annabeth’s tone had taken on that measured calm that Hazel remembered all to well from their time together. It was the same voice she’d used to demand the roman legion return her boyfriend with the same expression she’d used to stare down Gaea’s army. The Daughter of Pluto had always pitied those who were at the receiving end of that look; and even though Annabeth’s eyes were trained on Hazel, the Roman demigod knew the anger was not directed at her.

Hazel shook her head, easing herself onto the edge of the cot. “I wasn’t there, but the only ones Frank and Reyna found were you and him.” The roman demigod gestured to indicate the Leo-look-alike on the cot behind her.

Annabeth’s frown returned and Hazel helped her friend into a sitting position so the girl to get a good look at her roomate. Upon seeing the shock of curly brown hair and the darkened skin Annabeth’s eyes widened. A look of panc flashed across her face and concerned grey eyes turned to Hazel.

“Is he-”

“He’s fine,” The Daughter of Pluto quickly assured, “it was touch and go for a while, but he’s on the mend.” As Annabeth let out a relieved breath, Hazel couldn’t stem her curiosity, asking, “Who, exactly,  _ is _ he? What happened?”

“We only met recently but he’s a-” The older demigod cut herself off abruptly, eyes darting to the injured boy. Annabeth’s thoughtful silence stretched for an uncomfortably long time, with Hazel’s own gaze ping-ponging between the two greeks. Eventually, Annabeth shook her head and sighed, swinging her legs over the edge of the cot. “It’s a bit of lengthy explanation, one that Reyna and Frank should hear as well.”

Hazel darted forwards as her friend stood on shaky legs, the Daughter of Pluto’s hand gripping Annabeth’s upper forearm as she swayed woozily. In a firm, but not unkind, manner, Hazel pushed the Daughter of Athena back down on her sickbed.

“Easy there- you took a pretty hard hit yourself, you know. You’re in no shape to go anywhere just yet.”

“I’ve had worse,” Annabeth insisted, even as she pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead.

Hazel had to smile at the truth in her statement. Annabeth was one of the toughest demigods the Daughter of Pluto had ever known. Still, it worried her to see her friend so uncharacteristically pale. Whatever information Annabeth wanted to tell the Preator seemed to be urgent enough for her to ignore her condition.

An idea came to the Co-Centurion and Hazel offered, “I can relay your story in your stead.”

Annabeth frowned at her. “What?”

“You tell me what happened,” Hazel explained, “and I’ll go tell Reyna and Frank. That way you get to rest and they get the rundown of what happened.”

After a thoughtful pause, the Greek demigod nodded. “Alright. You might want to take a seat, though. It’s gonna be a lot to remember.”

Annabeth wasn’t lying, twenty minutes later Hazel was leaving the medical tent with more questions than answers. Her head spun with the wealth of knowledge she’d been entrusted with as Hazel crossed the grounds, making her way to the Principia.

The two story wedge of white marble looked more like a fancy bank than the Preator headquarters. Hazel nodded to the guards flanking the arched entrance, unable to resist a cursory glance up at the purple banner suspended above the entrance, the gold SPQR embroidery and laurel wreath proclaiming the dwelling as the crown of Camp Jupiter. Her mud-stained sneakers squeaked on the polished floor.

Hazel barely glanced at the velvet drapes and the banners that spanned the length of the room like the inner furnishings of some oversized tent. Instead, her focus was directed at the long wooden table in the center of the room- seeing the contents Frank had described to her earlier spread across the polished surface. One item Frank hadn’t mentioned was a foreign looking sword, the blade curved like a shallow letter ‘C’.

The two purple-robed Preators stood behind the table facing away from the entrance as they conversed with the hazy image of another Greek demigod Hazel hadn’t seen since the war. Percy was in the middle of a conversation with the two Camp leaders- the sight of Annabeth’s boyfriend making Hazel really regret not bringing the Daughter of Athena with her, but the Greek demigod really wasn’t well enough to be moving around. Hazel was able to catch bits of their conversation as she drew near.

“Where are you now?” Reyna demanded.

“Somewhere West of the East River.” Percy supplied. “I’m not-” Hazel flinched as a sudden burst of static interrupted the call, the image glitching before it stabilized again. “-and they say they can help us.” Percy concluded, as if he was unaware of the interruption.

“Percy,” Frank frowned as the image spazzed again. “We didn’t catch that last part, could you say it again?”

But before Percy had a chance to respond there was another burst of white noise closely followed by the image abruptly vanishing completely. Hazel stopped in surprise, the momentary silence that followed indicating that neither Preator had expected the premature end of their call.

“What just happened?” Hazel could hear the tinge of annoyance in Reyna’s voice.

Frank sounded just as perplexed. “Not sure- bad connection maybe?”

“Have you ever known an Iris message to have a bad connection?” Reyna asked almost cynically.

“...No. Doesn’t mean it’s not possible though.” Was her fellow Preator’s response.

Hazel coughed politely to garner the leaders’ attention. Both Roman demigods turning to face the new arrival. Frank smiled at the sight of his girlfriend.

“You have news.” Reyna assumed, seeing no other reason for the Centurion to be at the Principia.

“Annabeth’s awake.” The Daughter of Pluto reported, seeing twin flashes of relief cross their faces. “She told me to tell you what happened but…” Hazel shook her head, “I can’t make heads or tails of any of it.”

At Reyna’s gesture to continue, Hazel repeated the story Annabeth had spun for her. As she spoke, the Co-Centurion watched the Preators expressions change, and Hazel was selfishly relieved that they both looked as confused and frustrated as she had felt. By the time the story had concluded, Reyna was stoically staring at the objects on the table dividing them.

Frank scratched the side of his head, looking back and forth between the two girls. Finally he sighed. “I don’t get it.”

Returning from her thoughts, Reyna straightened her back. “I don’t either, but I understand enough of it to know that I need to talk with her.” Her gaze shifted to focus on Hazel. “Is she well enough?”

The Daughter of Pluto could only shrug. “I’m not a healer.” She repeated. “All I can assure you is that she’s awake and not dying anytime soon.”

“Perfect.” Reyna nodded, turning and making for the entrance. “Then it’s time we pay her a visit.”

Frank and Hazel fell in step behind the Daughter of Bellona, and for the second time in the past twelve hours, Hazel found herself being led to the medical tent. As the trio entered, Hazel saw Tyler glance up from one of the cots, the demigod he was treating sporting some nasty looking burns on his arm. Seeing the Preator, the Head Healer delegated the patient to one of the other medics before moving to intercept the group.

“Reyna,” Tyler greeted, quickly nodding to Frank in acknowledgement. “The Third Cohort has requested some more assistance with the-”

“I’ll deal with that in a moment,” Reyna interrupted. “But first I need to find out what mess we’ve been caught up in this time.”

And with those words the Preator strode past the Head Healer, making for the sectioned off area of the tent. As the entourage closed the shortening distance, Hazel could barely make out a voice she didn’t recognize, saying, “...wait,  _ Roman _ ? I thought you told me you were-” the accusation cutting off mid-sentence as Reyna flung aside the divider.

The Leo-look-alike was awake.

The injured boy looked startled by Reyna’s sudden entrance, Hazel saw his right hand unconsciously jump to his waist, hand closing around the hilt of an imaginary sword. Deep brown eyes flicked from Reyna to Frank and then to Hazel. In addition to the prominent discomfort in his gaze, the Daughter of Pluto could detect the underlying facet of exhaustion consuming his thin frame.

Contrasting the boy’s nervousness, Annabeth merely tilted her head towards the trio, the Greek demigod smiling at the familiar faces. She raised a hand in salutation. “Reyna, Frank, it’s good to see you again.”

The Leo-look-alike glanced at the Daughter of Athena. “You know them?”

“We’ve fought together a while back,” Annabeth replied with a wistful grin.

Frank smiled too. “As I recall, we also initially fought  _ against _ each other.”

“Meh… bygones.” Annabeth waved dismissively.

Reyna folded her arms, “I wish we were meeting under more desirable circumstances.”

“Me too.” Annabeth agreed readily. “Unfortunately, the Fates seem to only bring us together when the future of the world hangs in the balance.”

“Tell me everything.” The Daughter of Bellona commanded.

“Sure. Carter- you’re up.”

“What?” The boy- Carter, apparently- shot her an incredulous look. “Why?”

Annabeth reclined in the cot with a sigh, “Because I already tried to explain it, and it seems I did a pretty poor job if they’ve come here to ask me to tell it again. Besides, you could probably explain it better than me anyway.”

“No, I mean-” Carter’s eyes flicked to the Roman demigods and back, “how do I know I can trust them?”

Besides her, Hazel felt Reyna stiffen and Frank frown at the implied insult. Hazel herself felt a surge of annoyance towards the boy. The different Legions in Camp Jupiter were built on a foundation of trust, of loyalty to their Cohort brethren and to their Centurion. Reyna and Frank commanded respect from the Centurions not only because they were in the position of power, but because they had proved themselves worthy of wearing the purple robe. And now their integrity was being called into question by a stranger.

“ _ Excuse _ you?” Reyna snarled, “I am Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, Daughter of Bellona, Preator of the Twelfth Legion of Camp Jupiter.. Which means that not only can I beat your scrawny hide but I can personally bring the wrath of all of New Rome down on your head. And you can  _ trust _ that I will do so if you decide not to answer my question.”

Throughout the entire tirade, Carter had met the fierce stare of the Preator without so much as a flinch. In stark contrast to the way any normal demigod would cower under the titles and proclamations, the kid just listened weary, as if Reyna’s announcement was nothing he hadn’t heard a thousand times before. 

Frank had noticed the unimpressed demeanor as well, the Son of Mars narrowing his eyes at the injured boy, no doubt reevaluating the threat level of the scrawny boy. In her periphery, Hazel saw Frank casually lay his hand over the pommel of his spatha. The sword was as much a decoration as it was a fighting weapon, the gold-inlaid handle, and spread eagle-wing crossguard a symbol of his Preator status.

“You could be a god for all I cared,” Carter retaliated, “it still doesn’t change the fact that-”

“That we gave you medical care? That we recovered the wreckage of your ship, that we brought you both to safety, that we made sure you woke up today?” Hazel interrupted, her frown mirroring Franks. “No, it doesn’t. So how about instead of talking down to us, you start by saying ‘thank you’ for saving your life?”

Carter ducked his head, cheeks flaming beneath his dark complexion. Annabeth, who had looked on throughout the exchange with something akin to exasperated weariness, sighed in the silence.

“They have a point.” The Greek demigod acknowledged.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Carter took a deep breath, exhaling in a sigh. “Yes, they do.” He admitted after a moment. The kid looked up, meeting the still fuming gaze of the Preators and Centurion in turn. “Thank you, for all you’ve done. And… I apologize for calling your trust into question.”

Hazel felt herself calm down under the sincere words. The Daughter of Pluto figured she could cut the kid some slack- he  _ had _ just woken up in an unfamiliar place surrounded by strangers demanding information. The Centurion reasoned that it would be almost more concerning if he’d willingly told them everything without even a smidgen of hesitation.

“So…” Carter looked back at Annabeth, one hand rubbing the top of his forehead. “Where should I start?”

The edge of the Greek demigod’s lips quirked up. “How about with you ruining my date at the Met?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Aaaand we're officially in the split group section of this story :) Time to go on mini adventures with new friends!!!!
> 
> As always, comments and reviews are what I live for in this chaotic world we all live in. Thanks to everyone who left kudos and special thanks to everyone who is able to find the time to leave me their thoughts :)
> 
> Y'all rock!  
> <3


	18. A God in the Guestroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Walt really wants to say 'I told you so', Anubis is NOT helping, and Zia is going to go punch something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Are you ready??? Because this is the longest chapter I've ever written, totaling just under 9,000 words- that's right, 9 with 3 zeros!!!! And it's from a POV that not only have I never written in, but the BOOKS THEMSELVES have never explored.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!  
> <3

**(Walt POV)**

Hosting a god was the Egyptian equivalent of having a conscience: or- as Sadie liked to put it- a very annoying, very talkative version of Jiminy Cricket. At least, that’s how Isis was for the younger Kane. For me, Anubis had never been terribly chatty. He would offer up suggestions and words of wisdom from time to time, but for the most part the God of Death was as silent as the graves he watched over.

From the moment Freak landed in Central Park that had all changed. I’d gotten a nervous vibe from my patron upon setting eyes on the two people standing behind Carter. The unease was accompanied by a single word, whispered from the recess of my mind where Anubis usually dwelled:  _ Godlings _ .

_ What? _ I frowned, directing the unspoken question internally to the god. But Anubis had remained silent. After Hathor vanished, I took a long once-over of the people who had stood behind Carter. Sure, they were… weird. The boy’s sword was certainly not an egyptian design, and neither of them radiated power in a way that would suggest they were hosting a god as I was.

And yet, despite my silent inquiries, Anubis refused to speak. All that I could ascertain from my patron was that overpowering sense of foreboding; a pervasive need to distance myself from the demigods. The sensation persisted until I offered to bring Freak back to the Brooklyn House.

“What’s gotten into you?” I wondered aloud once we were airborne.

There was silence for a moment longer before the god responded.  _ The godlings should not be here, Central Park is not within their jurisdiction _ .

“Jurisdiction?” A frown creased my face. “What are we, dogs marking off territory? And why are you calling them godlings? I couldn’t sense anything that would suggest they were hosts.”

_ Not hosts, godlings _ .

“You’re not making any sense.”

I heard Anubis growl in frustration.  _ What they are is less important than why they’re here. Their presence endangers us all. Mixing the magics is taboo for a reason. _

I sighed. “When you decide to stop speaking cryptically, let me know.” Most of what the god had babbled about made as much sense as Sadie insisting that soda was supposed to be called ‘pop’. The only thing I could clearly understand is that- somehow- Anubis thought these Percy and Annabeth characters were bad news.

_ Mixing magics is dangerous _ . The god declared, as if that wording should clarify my confusion.

It didn’t. And what was even more infuriating was that he never attempted to explain further, stating those few and seemingly unrelated facts as though gospel. It wasn’t long after that the Kane siblings returned to the Brooklyn house.

“Pack a bag.” Were the first three words out of Carter’s mouth. “It’s time to go save the world.”

“Again.” Sadie added with a roll of her eyes before she made her way towards her room. “This time with total strangers tagging along.”

I smiled at her retreating back. Despite the outward show of annoyance, there was a light spring in her step as she made for the stairs. Sadie had admitted to me on many an occasion how boring life had become since defeating Apophis. Not that she wanted another apocalypse. But monitoring old relics and trying to change older magicians’ views on the Path of the Gods wasn’t as exciting as hunting down rogue monsters. A little combat with a god was just what she’d been missing. 

After a moment, Sadie’s final comment registered in my mind. I hurried to catch up with Carter, who was heading to his own room.

“Those… demigods are joining us?”

Carter nodded. “Insisted on it, actually. They said that, quote, ‘It may be your god but it’s our world too, so we’ll help defend it’.”

“And you believe them?”

A pause. “I don’t doubt their intention,” He replies slowly, “but they  _ are _ strangers, so we should proceed with caution.”

I nodded at the wisdom in his words. “What about Felix?”

The elder Kane spared me a glance. “Khufu can watch him for one night. Jaz, Cleo, and Zia return tomorrow from the 73rd Nome and we can leave them a note telling them what happened.”

“Zia won’t like being left out of the action.” I cautioned.

Carter pulled a face, saying “Don’t remind me,” before ducking into his room.

I continued down the hallway for a short ways before coming to my own door. My own furnishings were no more lavish than any other initiates, despite my elevated command. A four poster bed, desk, dresser, nightstand, closet, and adjoining bathroom decorated the space. On top of the dresser was a spread of metal and stone working tools, the various drawers containing everything I could ever need for creating charms. Mounted to the corner desk were two necklace display stands, wher finished charms dangled from the hooks.

My eyes scanned the completed charms, making a mental list of which ones I should bring with me. Among the polished pendants was one hanging from a thick woven chord. The scarabs onyx wings were fanned out, as if in flight, and on its body a gold-inlaid  _ ankh _ gleamed in the artificial light.

My thumb ran down the smoothed surface of the black scarab. The charm was one of my few experimental projects. It had taken me months of research and consulting with Jaz for me to even consider attempting to craft it.

I was still uncovering the vast intricacies of  _ sau _ , but I had learned that every component of a charm directly related to the type magic it would be able to hold. For instance, primordial hill charms (Sadie calls it the staircase symbol) are famous with earth elementals. Scarabs are a famous symbol for  _ Ra _ , but they can also be used to evoke resurrection magic, making scarab pendants common among necromancers. Egyptian alphabetic letters can also play into the nature of a charms magic, but the technique is hoarded among the more advanced  _ sau’s _ . The medium- metal, wood, crystal, stone- affects the potency of the magic stored within the pendant. Metal is one of the most magically conductive, beaten out by only a few specific crystals.

Funnily enough,  _ ankh _ charms are almost as taboo as hosting the gods. The thought of creating a conduit for life had been forbidden for hundreds of years until a scribe convinced the former Pharaoh that the symbol could be used to aid those studying the art of healing. To reduce their potency,  _ sau’s _ were only allowed to craft them from wood and basic stones: those who tested using metal  _ ankh’s _ found that the ease of magical conductivity tended to overwhelm the wearer- overloading their magical reserves so much that they would burn out. It seems that life isn’t something so easily toyed with.

I blinked down at my creation. The black scarab, a symbol of resurrection. The gold  _ ankh _ , the symbol for life. Onyx crystal, a material that directly tapped into the core of a magician's magic. I let the pendant drop back to the cushioned surface, moving towards the closet. I absently grabbed a spare set of combat gear, folding the cloth neatly as my thoughts wandered. If it worked as intended, the charm should restore life to a dying magicians magical reserves and keep them from burning out.

If. And it was a big ‘if’.

Shaking my head, I snatched an old, brown duffel from the floor of my closet, plopping it on the mattress and unzipping the top. But as I was about to place the folded clothes into the duffel, my hands suddenly froze. I frowned at the unresponsive appendages, yet no matter how much I willed them to move they didn’t. I blinked, finally realizing what had happened.

“Anubis.” I accused. Never before had the god had attempted to fully exert his will over mine. The closest he’d ever come was during the battle against Apophis, and even that had been a tandem effort to protect Sadie.

_ I cannot allow you to go on this mission _ , the God of Death almost sounded apologetic.  _ It is too dangerous _ .

“That’s exactly why I need to go with them.” I countered angrily, my hands shaking from the effort of trying to overcome the god’s will. I may have grudgingly allowed myself to leave Sadie and Carter with the demigods for their midnight snack,but there was no way that I was going to leave the Kane’s on their own with these strangers.

_ No, it’s- _ frustration radiated from the god.  _ I’m not saying it’s dangerous for the Kanes, nor am I suggesting it won't be. But if you get involved with the godlings it may result in my essence being forcefully extracted. _

I felt my heart skip a beat. “That’s… possible?”

_ Mixing magics is dangerous _ . Anubis repeated, his tone serious.  _ Should you be in the vicinity when that happens I cannot ensure your safety. _

I bit my lip, the weight of the god’s words settling on my shoulders. On the one hand, I could insist on going anyway. I really wanted to. On the other, I rather enjoyed life. I’d nearly died once before and I was in no hurry to recreate the experience. I could insist on going for Sadie’s sake, to protect her, but who was I kidding? Sadie was the most capable magician I knew. She’d end up protecting me. 

“I don’t like this.” I eventually conceded.

_ I didn’t expect you would _ . Anubis responded.  _ If you agree to stay behind I will promise to monitor their progress while they are gone _ .

I blinked. “You can do that?”

_ Not constantly. _ The god admitted.  _ But I can connect with their  _ ba’s _ while they rest. _

“How?” But Anubis refused to reveal any more than that, and after a moment I sighed. “Alright, fine. I’ll go tell Carter we’ll be staying behind on this one.”

_ And Sadie. _ It was more of a statement than a question.

“I very much like my head. I don’t want to see it removed quite yet.” I snorted, until Anubis showed me the idea of her response after being told by Carter. I cringed. “Yeah, okay, she deserves to hear it from us.” 

My hands jerked as Anubis released his hold over me, and I struggled briefly with gravity for balance. Throwing the clothes on the bed, I turned to leave. But as my hand rested on the polished doorknob I hesitated. On a whim, I strode back to the desk, grabbing the black scarab necklace from it’s stand.

Walking towards Sadie’s room felt like approaching the lair of a slumbering beast with bells and whistles on. The truth was ten times more terrifying. I rapped my knuckles on the wooden surface, hearing the muffled “Yeah?” from the other side. At the invitation, I entered to find Sadie crouched over a pile of clothes. She glanced at me and flashed one of her rare, genuinely happy, smiles before grabbing one of the crumpled shirts. Drawing the article of clothing up, Sadie gave it a deep sniff before shrugging and tossing the shirt onto a small pile next to her own purple duffel.

“What’s up, Walt?”

“I, uh…” My eyes fell to the pendant cupped in my hand. “I wanted to give you this.”

The younger Kane sibling walked over, accepting the charm and holding it up to the light. Her sapphire eyes roved over the  _ ankh _ , a soft smile creasing her rose colored lips.

“It’s gorgeous, Walt.”

My cheeks grew warm at the sincere praise, and I rubbed a hand over my cropped hair. “Thanks. I figured it would come in handy on your trip.”

“What does it-” Sadie’s words cut off abruptly and she frowned, sending me a questioning look. “‘ _ Your trip’ _ ? Does this mean you’re not coming with?” 

“I just… can’t.” It was a lame reason, and seeing the dangerous look in her eye I tried to elaborate. “It’s too dangerous to mix magics.”

Sadie laugh was cold. “ _ Dangerous _ ? Of course it’s going to be dangerous, the world’s in peril- again. Surely it’s no more dangerous than when we fought against Apophis, or when you insisted on coming with me to the Tombs of Ptah,  _ or _ when you used your magic to help me defeat Neith even though doing so would  _ kill _ you!” Her volume gradually built with every word until she was practically shouting. “I don’t recall it being ‘too dangerous’  _ then _ , so why in _ Isis _ are you backing down from this?”

I swallowed hard under the intensity of her glare. “Sadie, I don’t know how to explain it-”

“Try me, death boy.”

_ Let me speak to her _ . Anubis offered,  _ I believe I can clarify the situation _ . I doubted it, but seeing as I was getting nowhere fast, I decided it couldn’t hurt to let the God of Death try his hand and stepped back in my own mind to let him take control.

Worst. Decision. Ever.

I’ll spare you the details, partly because Anubis, with his raw influx of godly power, blurred a lot of the interaction from our end when he was in charge, but mostly because there was a lot of shouting. By the time I stepped back into the forefront, Sadie had stormed off, and all I got from my patron was a sense of despondency. I ran a hand through my cropped hair.

“Well that went well.” I muttered, feeling Anubis’s brooding intensify.

_ She would not listen to reason _ . The god said defensively.

I huffed. “When does Sadie  _ ever _ listen to reason?”

Anubis didn’t have an answer.

After the Kane sibling’s left, I headed down to the library. Somewhere among the countless stacks of books and scrolls was the answer to this newest apocalyptic development. Squaring my shoulders, I set to work. As my eyes travelled across the dusty spines, I remembered how haphazard the shelves had looked when I’d first arrived at the Brooklyn House. Books would be stacked uncategorically, with pages dog-eared and small tabs from sticky notes poking from the edges in every which way; scrolls were stuffed in cubby holes at awkward angles, and stone tablets were used as paperweights.

After a moment of searching through the now-organized rows, I found the section detailing the Afterlife. There were books on burial ceremonies, scrolls depicting the twelve houses lining the River of Night, and even an interpretive study on the practicality of reaching  _ Aaru _ . Unfortunately, none of the titles mentioned anything about the Feather of Truth. Anubis was still moping from earlier, stubbornly refusing to answer my inquiries, so I grabbed a small stack of the tomes and situated myself at the wooden table.

It was a long and fruitless night.

Maybe it was due to the lack of sleep, but the following day passed in a blur. I vaguely remember the girls returning sometime around midday. Recalled setting Cleo to the task of researching the Feather of Truth before having to deal with the frustrated grumblings of the fire elemental. I grabbed a quick sandwich for lunch and headed down to assist Cleo with her search. Afternoon shifted to evening with no success on our end, and I called Sadie to let her know of our plight. The rest of the Brooklyn House occupants slowly retreated to their beds, and I made one last perimeter check- ensuring that the protective barriers were secured- before following suit.

All too soon I had awoken to Anubis’ urgent badgering.

“What is it now?” I grumbled, rubbing a hand over my eyes and glancing at the clock.

_ Sadie, _ the one word was like someone had doused me with a bucket of ice water, and I bolted upright as Anubis continued with,  _ she’s in trouble _ .

“What kind of trouble?” I asked, failing to keep the spike of panic from my voice while I hurried out of the room.

_ Her magic signature has weakened considerably. _

“And what in Horus does  _ that _ mean?” I snapped, hurrying towards Jaz’s room with the sinking feeling the healer’s skills would soon be in demand. Anubis confirmed my fear a moment later.

_ Her magic is fading,  _ the god muttered,  _ she must’ve depleted her magical reserves. _

Breathing suddenly became very hard. Depleted magical reserves could only mean one thing: Sadie was close to burning out. I pounded on Jaz’s door, the healer answering within moments. Jaz was still in her night clothes, but the girl took one look at my face and asked: “What happened?”

“Sadie’s hurt. Bad.”

“She’s here?” Jaz looked around, as if expecting the Kane to pop out of thin air.

“No she’s-” I stopped with a frown. “Anubis, where is she?”

_ At the portal conduit in Washington D.C. _

“The Washington Monument.” I relayed to Jaz.

The healer nodded, “How bad is bad? Physical injury, or magical?”

“Depleted magic reserves.”

Jaz sucked in a sharp breath. “Okay… okay. Send someone to go pick her up, then meet me in the infirmary in five to help me prep it.”

The entire exchange had taken less than a minute, and in another three Zia had taken Freak and departed. Jaz and I set to work in the infirmary, the healer instructing me to retrieve various potions from the small storage closet as she crafted a wax  _ shabti _ of Sadie, weaving her healing magic into the moldable material as she did. In any other situation, I would be impressed with how far Jaz had progressed with her field of study.  _ Shabti _ figure healing was a difficult art, only one specific ailment could be cured and who it healed was dependent on who the wax model resembled. But at the moment, seeing the healer create a small rendition of Sadie only made my heart clench.

After a time, I heard Anubis say,  _ they’re here _ .

What Anubis failed to mention was that the demigods were with her. After hearing what had happened and showing the guests to their rooms, I spent the rest of the evening sitting at Sadie’s bedside. As I sat there, watching the uneven rise and fall of her chest as Sadie breathed, I found my frustrations turning inwards. If I had only gone with them, I might’ve been able to help, to do something-  _ anything _ \- that could’ve prevented this outcome. But no. I had listened to the advice of my patron god, and now, because I had, Sadie was lying on the infirmary bed, her breathing ragged as she clinged to life.

With a sigh, I dropped my head into my hands.

_ You cannot blame yourself for this.  _ Anubis consoled after a moment of hesitation.  _ There are more pressing matters that require your attention. As temporary leader of the 21st Nome, you must put aside your personal feelings for the moment. _

My anger flared in response to the god’s words. It was because of him that I was in this position in the first place. I could’ve bitten back with some scathing remark, but as much as I wanted to, the god was right. I couldn’t afford to wallow in self-recrimination right now (and since the god and I now shared the same body, staying mad at Anubis would technically be just another form of self-directed anger anyways). The realization didn’t make the weight of my guilt lessen, but Anubis was correct. Carter was who-knows where, and with Sadie out of commission and Jaz on call as our only medic, that left me, Zia, Felix,  Cleo and Khufu as the main line of defense for the Brooklyn House.

I told Jaz I would be back shortly and left to go find Zia. I found the elementalist on the roof, bent over the scrying bowl and staring into its watery depths. I placed a hand on her shoulder gently, but she still startled out of her search, frowning at me with an unasked question.

“I need your help reinforcing the barriers.”

Zia’s mouth set in a thin line. “I’m scrying for Carter right now, get someone else to do it.”

“Someone else like Felix?” I retorted with considerable heat. Zia ducked her head at the thought of me waking up the ankle biter in the early hours of the morning. “Or Jaz, whos doing everything she can to stabilize Sadie? Or Cleo, who’s busy trying to figure out how to stop this whole mess?” I took a deep breath, reigning in my emotions. “It’ll only take a half hour, and then you can go back to searching for Carter.”

A nod from the elementalist was all I recieved before Zia left to do as I’d asked. Half an hour later, the barriers were nearly as strong as they had been a year ago, during the height of the war against  Apophis . After casting one last spell, I found myself back at the infirmary, in the same seat next to the same bed with the same unresponsive Kane resting fitfully under the thin sheets. Jaz walked over after a moment, holding something out for me to inspect. I reached out my hand and the healer dropped the black obsidian charm into my palm.

“I found this in her pocket.” Jaz explained.

I glanced at the surface of the carved beetle, seeing a deep fissure splitting down the center of the  _ ankh _ . There was a distinct lack of magic in the charm, whatever had been imbued there was now gone, leaving a worthless hunk of rock. I stared at the crack, and then my gaze shifted to the younger Kane sibling.

“It worked.” The healer said, as if reading my thoughts. Jaz placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, adding, “and it’s probably the reason she was able to get here in one piece.”

With that, the healer left, mentioning something about grabbing a quick snack from the kitchen. I just nodded, staring dully at the charm. For Sadie to be in such a state  _ after _ the aid of what was essentially an experimental power boost... I couldn’t force myself to imagine how Carter was holding up- wherever he was. 

Morning came and went, and still I stayed rooted the the chair, mulling over the myriad of problems we now faced. As afternoon light filtered in through the windows, Jaz returned, mentioning that Zia wanted to speak to me.

I stood, bending down to brush a kiss on Sadie’s forehead before making my way to the Great Room. Zia was pacing across the floor, her arms crossed tight against her body and a tight expression pinching her face.

The elementalist looked up as I approached, watching as I sat on the edge of the couch before speaking. “We need to go out and find him.”

I held back a sigh. “Zia, I told you-”

“You told me to strengthen the defenses and I did.” The girl interrupted. “But you said after that I was free to look for Carter.”

_ Zia is acting rashly _ . Anubis advised unhelpfully as the elementalist continued her rant.  _ She is distressed, understandably so, but for her to leave now would be a mistake. _

_ But we  _ do _ need to find out where Carter is,  _ I thought back,  _ he could be in serious trouble _ . I held my hand up to stop the elementalist mid-sentence. “I understand your frustration. But where would we even begin to look for him? He didn’t emerge in the same location as Sadie and the demigods, which means he could be at any one of hundreds of portal conduits.”

“That’s exactly my _ point _ , Walt. I scryed for Carter all night and I didn’t find a trace of him.” Zia turned stiffly, continuing to pace. “I couldn’t even  _ sense _ his magic, Walt. Which means he’s either completely drained and defenseless or he’s…” She didn’t finish the thought, nor did she have to for me to understand what was implied.

“ _ Or _ ,” I emphasized the alternative, “something may be cloaking his presence.”

“Either way, I’m going to find him.”

_ That is unwise, _ Anubis chimed in,  _ we need our strength consolidated here. At least until the goldlings leave _ .

I ran a hand down my face, letting out a long sigh. I wasn’t sure who I was more frustrated with, the god in my head, or the stubborn elementalist. “Zia, we don’t have enough people to mount any kind of search and rescue mission.”

Zia’s head snapped up, anger sparking in her eyes. “Then I’ll go alone.”

“Look, I’m worried too.” I stood, crossing my arms, “But I need you here. At least until Sadie gets back on her feet.”

Zia’s eyes flicked behind me and I turned to see Percy approaching, looking clean and well-rested. Not long after, the other demigod, Leo, emerged as well. Once again, I noticed how Anubis had gone abnormally silent at their appearance.

_ Oh, so now you decide to be quiet? _ I thought irritably as Zia apologized. _ You know they can’t hear you, right? You’re in  _ my _ head, not theirs. _

I felt a flicker of worry from the god.  _ Something is attempting to penetrate the defenses. _

My eyes snapped up, scanning the Great Room as my hand shifted towards my charms.  _ What? How is that possible? We just strengthened the protective borders. _

_ This magic signature is foreign, but I sense no malice _ . Anubis informed.

_ Not malicious and yet it’s trying to break through the protection spells- _ I didn’t get to finish the argument because at that moment the air between us and the demigods shimmered. Zia and I leapt away from the apparition, shifting into battle stances.

The demigods looked completely unfazed, if not slightly surprised.

“What’s going on?” I demanded.

“I’m getting a call.” Percy smiled.

The edges of the misty disk rippled as the image of a girl came into view. The new demigod- I assumed due to the non-egyptian hairstyle and clothing choice- was frowning, her lips in a tight line.

Percy blinked a few times, eyebrows rising. “Reyna?” He asked in disbelief.

“Jackson.” This Reyna person replied in kind. “I just saved your girlfriend.  _ Again _ .” The demigod announced, sounding as if doing so was a chore. “Care to explain why she showed up in a fiery explosion in front of the Luxor hotel with a  _ different _ guy?”

My breath left me.  _ Carter _ . It had to be.

Leo’s eyes grew wide. “Fiery explosion? Is my ship okay?”

“ _ Leo _ , that’s not important.” Percy gritted out through a clenched jaw, before addressing Reyna. “How’s Annabeth?”

“She’s resting. As is the other one. Both are recovering from the initial impact of crash landing.”

“Crash landing?” The mechanic sounded like he was choking on the news. “My baby  _ crashed _ ?” 

_ Interesting _ . Anubis mused, muting the conversation as Percy reprimanded the younger demigod.  _ That’s an unorthodox use of magic. _

_ What is? _ I wondered, half-listening to the conversation.

_ They’ve found a way to communicate by manipulating a thin, near subsurface layer of the Duat. _

I was confused.  _ You’re saying these demgods can manipulate the Duat? _

If he’d had a corporeal body, the god would be shaking his head.  _ Not the demigods… some other entity which requires a sacrifice in order to make the connection _ .

_ What kind of sacrifice? _ My mind conjuring up an image of these greek godlings slaughtering a lamb each time they wanted to facetime through the magical veil.

Anubis didn’t respond, and by the time I’d tuned back into the conversation, static and white noise were interrupting every other sentence. The one thing I was able to fully understand was that this Reyna person had Carter- alive and well-ish- at their ‘camp’ place. I had just drawn breath to ask if we could speak with Carter, thinking he could clear up the situation, when the image abruptly faded, leaving behind a small rainbow that slowly faded out.

With a groan of frustration, Percy ran a hand through his hair. “That’s the  _ second _ time the Iris Message has cut me off. What gives?”

Zia whirled on the other demigods, demanding, “Where is this camp?” 

“California.” Percy answered, looking at the elementalist warily, “why?

“Because I’m going to go get him.”

I looked up at that. “No. I told you, I need you here.”

Zia bristled. “Carter is my-”

“Boyfriend, yes.” I interrupted. “But he’s also the head of this Nome, and as his second in command it’s my job to protect the Brooklyn House and all its occupants while he’s gone. I’m just as worried as you are, but you heard the demigod, Carter’s alive and safe. Sadie, on the other hand,” I swallowed thickly at the reminder of her condition, “is still recovering. I can’t risk thinning the 21st Nomes fighting force. Now if that means pulling rank and forcing you to stay here instead of charging across the continent, then so be it.”

Zia’s stubborn glare was hot enough to melt steel, but I met it with firm determination.

“… I need to go hit something.” She eventually muttered, storming off towards the training room with heavy footfalls.

Even with her departure, the tense silence remained, and with a start I realized that the two demigods were staring at me. It occured to me then that arguing amongst the other members of the 21st Nome in front of strangers- especially probable allies- wasn’t the smartest play.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, “What she means is that she’s going to go train for a bit.”

“No…” The hispanic drew out the word with a slow shake of his head. “I think she means she’s gonna go hit something.”

Percy nodded gravely in agreement. “Whatever it is, I feel sorry for it.”

The three of us stood there, an awkward silence stretching on for a time until a low growl punctuated the air. I blinked, eyes flicking to the source of the noise. The hispanic demigod was grinning sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Guess you really shouldn’t fight giant snake monsters on an empty stomach.” Leo joked lamely, the tips of his fingers drumming along the side of the worn toolbelt resting on his thin waist. Despite the demigod’s lack of wit, I still found myself smiling as Percy raised his eyes to the ceiling.

“Well, you slept thought breakfast, but I’m sure we can find you something in the kitchen.” I offered.

My own stomach rumbled in anticipation as we neared the dining room. By keeping my vigil at Sadie’s bedside I had also skipped the first meal of the day. The dining room was fairly large, an elongated table with seating for twenty dominating the space. A wraparound counter with all the normal furnishings of a kitchen- stovetop, oven, microwave, etc.- framed the inner perimeter of the wall. The west side of the room had large glass panels that looked out over the outside patio, the East River, and the distant New York skyline.

Various food-related items were haphazardly scattered across the marble countertop. Everyone pitched in when it came to food; unlike the other Nomes that served their initiates bulk meals produced by  _ shabti _ -chef’s, meals in the 21st Nome were self-prepared. Occasionally someone- usually Jaz- would offer to make dinner for everyone and we would all eat together at the long table. But more often than not I would find one of the other magicians munching on a PB&J sandwich as they walked through the halls.

Having lived in the Brooklyn House for close to three years now, I was used to the cluttered system; but with Percy and Leo following behind, I felt a twinge of annoyance at the open box of Cheerios and the half-eaten bagel on the counter.

“Sorry about the mess.” I said, fighting back a grimace. “It’s a free-for-all, so if you see something you want, have at it.” To prove my point, I walked over to a bushel of bananas and snapped one from the bunch.

“Oh,  _ yes _ !” Leo grinned as he grabbed an item from the smorgeousboard of options in the fridge. “I love these things.”

Percy looked over with a raised eyebrow. “Dude, Hot Pockets aren’t a breakfast food.”

“Hey,” the Hispanic protested. “In my experience, breakfast is overrated. I can’t even remember the last time I had breakfast… or dinner. But Hot Pockets? I had one four days ago.”

The older demigod rolled his eyes, muttering, “Unbelievable,” popping a pair of Eggo waffles into the toaster.

_ I agree with the sea godling. I find it highly unlikely that the fire godling speaks truth. _ Anubis advised, speaking quietly as if testing to see whether or not the demigods could actually hear him.  _ No mortal can obtain that much energy on a single source of sustenance. _

“Not to pry,” Percy said, dragging my attention away from the musings of my patron, “but is Zia normally… like that.”

“Zia’s always been… stubborn.” I answered after a moment. “But since Hathor’s release everyone’s been a little on edge.”

Leo snorted, his food choice now steaming in his hands even though I hadn’t seen him use the microwave. “She must be really riled to talk back to the big man in charge. Even I wouldn’t dare argue with Mr. D: He’d probably turn me into a grapevine for the trouble.”

“He’d do that even if you weren’t arguing.” Percy commented, taking a bite of his first waffle.

My brows drew together; a… grapevine? What kind of transformation magic focused on  _ plants _ ? But I shook the strangeness off, focusing on the hispanics’ words.

“I’m not the ‘big man in charge’ as you put it.” I told him. “We’re all equals here.”

“So then what was that about pulling rank back there?” The hispanic pointed out. “Sounded like you’re in a higher position than her.”

I shrugged. “Officially, I’m the Brooklyn House’s second in command; but we don’t really stand on formalities here. Every initiate is treated the same, regardless of age or experience. Well,” I amended, “we all recognize Carter as our leader, he probably knows more about Egyptian lore and magic than the rest of us combined. Although Cleo might give him a run for his money in the research departm-” I cut myself off abruptly as a realization hit me.

Percy glanced up at my abrupt silence, halfway through his second waffle. “You okay, Walt?”

I blinked, “Yes. I… I think it’s time I introduce you to Cleo. As I said, she knows as much about Egyptian history as Carter. If anyone would know why a portal would malfunction it would be her.”

Once the demigods had eaten their fill, I led them back inside, making for a spiral staircase located just off of the Great Room. As we descended down the stone steps, Leo broke the silence.

“So this Cleo,” The demigod began. “She lives in the dungeon or something?”

I raised a quizzical eyebrow. “No. She spends most of her time in the library.”

_ Too much time _ , Anubis suddenly commented, the whispered thought quiet in my mind.  _ Thoth does not deserve such a dedicated disciple _ .

For the first time today I had to agree with my patron. Cleo had a great hunger for information, much like the god she worshipped. She appointed herself head librarian from the moment she set eyes on the library and had even managed to organize and catalogue the entire collection of scrolls, books, and tablets housed there. More often than not, Cleo would spend her days reorganizing each section and neglecting the ‘less important’ tasks like eating.

“Why would you put a library in a dungeon?” The hispanic wondered aloud, dragging me from my thoughts.

I gave him a long look. “We don’t  _ have _ a dungeon.”

“Then why are we going down?”

Releasing a sigh, I glanced at Percy. “Is he always like this?”

“No.” The Son of Poseidon answered truthfully. “He’s usually worse.”

Thankfully, there were only a dozen more steps to the library entrance, and once we walked through the stone archway, the Son of Hephaestus was effectively silenced. Leo’s jaw had dropped in awe as he soaked in the sight, Percy’s eyebrows rose marginally, seemingly impressed by our collection.

The walls of the library were decorated with more images of the gods and an array of egyptian monster’s I hoped I’d never have the misfortune to meet in person. The earthly hues of the floor tiles were arranged to look like a sleeping man: a rendition of the earth god, Geb. Four stone figures stood at the cardinal corners of the room ; the large, lifelike  _ shabtis _ each wearing a pharaoh’s headdress and holding their crossed arms in an ‘X’ over their chest. A single table stood in the center of the room, the surface covered with half-opened tomes.

I watched as the demigods allowed their gaze to trail up the side of the walls, noting that the upper two layers of the library were tiered like an upside-down wedding cake. A winding staircase spiraled up from the ground level, allowing access to the higher tiers. Countless cubbyholes punctuated the structure in place of shelves, each indent filled with orderly stacks of various books, scrolls, and stone slabs. A deep cerulean ceiling crowned the architectural marvel, the array of stars positioned in such a way that depicted the goddess of the sky, Nut, as she smiled down at the rooms occupants.

The only movement in the room was that of a young brunette on the second tier. The girl wore the same while linen bottoms but sported a lavender tank top in favor over the monocolored wardrobe. Loose amber locks framed her face, and an ancient looking set of spectacles rested precariously on the edge of her nose. She paced back and forth, lips pursed as her fingers flipped through the book she was currently reading.

“Cleo.” I called up to the girl. “Can you come down for a second?”

The scribe didn’t even spare a glance up from the leather-bound publication she was skimming, absently waving a hand in the direction of my voice. “I know I missed breakfast, Walt. Just leave it on the table, I’ll eat later.”

“This is kind of important, Cleo.”

With a sigh, the brunette snapped the book closed, raising her eyes to the ceiling in exasperation. Cleo then pushed the spectacles higher onto her nose and turned to face me, reminiscent of one of those stingy librarians who hissed at you to keep the volume down.

“Walt, I’m a little busy recategorizing Ptahhotep’s entire collection of dimensional studies by level of practicality-” The magician cut off abruptly as she noticed the demigods. “Oh, hello. New initiates, I take it?” Cleo sent the question in my direction.

I hesitated. Cleo followed Thoth, the god of knowledge. I knew the brunette well enough to infer that if I told her Percy and Leo were the half children of Greek gods, her questions would be unending.

“Not… exactly.” Came my eventual response. “But we do have a mystery that needs solving.”

At that, Cleo’s eyebrows rose and she leaned over the railing to look down at us. “I do love a good intrigue. I’m all ears.”

“Have you ever heard of a portal destabilizing?”

The eyebrows fell. “ _ That’s  _ your big conundrum? Portal deterioration can be the result of a multitude of reasons-” Cleo rattled them off as she made her way down the stairs, “inadequate training, improper technique, poor visualization of the drop zone, lack of magical energy, incantation enunciation failure, attempting to travel through a used portal before it’s done charging, using an unsuitable portal conduit-”

“So,” Percy interjected, “hypothetically speaking, if one were to use the London clock tower as an obelisk substitute, that would be… bad?”

Having reached the ground floor, Cleo narrowed her eyes at the older demigod. Her scrutinizing gaze switched to Leo, and then to Walt before refocusing on Percy. “It should be near impossible to create a portal above a non-egyptian symbol of power.”

“But, hypothetically speaking… what would be the ramifications of doing so?” I pressed.

Cleo pursed her lips, arms folding over her chest. “ _ Hypothetically _ speaking, attempting to navigate through a portal constructed with those… specifications, would result in a adverse reaction. The toll it would take on the magician casting the spell would be tremendous; they’re basically trying to manipulate the flow of the Duat without a focus.”

Noticing our blank stares, the scribe amended her statement. “Think of it like this. Portal conduits- pyramids, obelisks, sphinx’s- they’re like drawbridges: they can be lowered and raised, and only lead to specific, set places. When a magician opens a portal, it’s like lowering the drawbridge, creating a path across the Duat- the moat, in this analogy. Now imagine that there is no drawbridge. You’d have to find another way across the moat. You could build your own bridge, or try and redirect the flow of the water-”

Percy’s interrupting laugh quickly changed to a clearing of his throat at Cleo’s glare. “So, not impossible, then?”

“But incredibly exhausting.” The scribe emphasized. “Imagine trying to split the Hudson in two.” For some reason, that only amused the demigods. Leo broke down into a fit of giggles while Percy looked to be concentrating fiercely on keeping the smile from his face.

After a moment, the older of the two composed himself enough to ask, “So is that why the portal malfunctioned? Because it was too hard a spell?”

The scribe scoffed, raising an eyebrow. “You think a portal spell is hard for a Kane?”

“I don’t think that caused the portal to destabilize.” I agreed, looking over at the demigods. “You said that you think Carter ended up in California, while you and Sadie emerged in Washington D.C.?”

“Yeah.” Leo replied. “Why, is that not normal?”

Cleo frowned. “I’ve never heard of a portal spitting people out at different locations. They’re usually pretty straight forward incantations.”

“What if they were both chanting the spell at the same time?” Percy asked. “Would that affect the portal?”

The scribe tapped her chin. “I wonder… if Sadie and Carter performed the spell at the same time, then maybe looking into the properties of dual spellcasting will explain the oddity.” Cleo looked over at one of the  _ shabti’s _ , snapping her fingers at it and commanding, “Bring me Ptahhotep’s fourth edition of the properties and dimensions of Duat travel, and Mahfouz’s book on basic dual casting studies.”

Both demigods jerked in surprise as the stone statue came to life, the  _ shabti _ smoothly making its way to the third floor of the library. As it ascended, the hispanic studied the seamless animated stone figure, eyes alight with curiosity. For his part, Percy was now eyeing the other three statues with equal interest.

“That is so cool!” Leo eventually exclaimed. “How does it work? It must be voice activated but I don’t see any vibration sensors on the outside casing.”

Cleo and I shared a confused look, before I responded with, “It’s a  _ shabti _ .”

“Does that translate to ‘animatronic’? I’m not exactly fluent in Egyptian.”

“A  _ shabti _ is not a machine.” Cleo’s tone was ever the school teacher as she gave a brief overview. “ _ Shabti _ ’s are servants made of wax, clay, or stone and imbued with a caster’s magic. You can bind a  _ sheut _ \- someone’s shadow- to a  _ shabti _ with statuary magic.”

“Hang on. You’re telling me that there’s not a single piston or gear within that statue?” Leo frowned. “And instead you’ve, what, sewn a shadow to the stone like you’re Wendy Darling? How is that even possible! You can’t attach shadows to things that cast a shadow, can you?”

Cleo pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at the two demigods. “What Nome did you say you were from again? I really must have a talk with your basic casting educators if you don’t even know how a  _ sheut _ is attached to a  _ shabti _ .” The scribe scoffed.

The hispanic bristled. “Well I may not be as well versed in she-huts and shabby-tea making, but I can troubleshoot a complex circuit with my eyes closed and fix a stress fracture with nothing but a bottle cap and  stick of elmer's glue.”

Cleo blinked a few times, her brow pinching in curiosity. “Seriously, what Nome are you guys with?” 

Thankfully, the  _ shabti _ returned at that moment, cutting off any reply the demigods could have given as the stone figure deposited the two books on the table. With the reminder of her task, the scribe adjusted her spectacles, snatching up the thicker of the two tomes and flipping the cover open.

“We’ll leave it in your capable hands, Cleo.” I said, taking advantage of the digression from the previous line of questioning, ushering the demigods towards the exit as I spoke. “Let us know if you find out anything that could explain why the portal went haywire.”

As the three of us ascended the stairs, Percy looked at me. “Why not just tell her we’re demigods?”

I huffed. “Trust me, if I told Cleo you two were the half-children of Greek gods and mortals, we’d be there all day.” I thought for a moment, then amended, “Or, rather, all week.”

“So the stables are on the roof, and the library is in the dungeon.” Leo surmised. “Where do you guys train? On the patio?”

I glanced back at the hispanic jokester. “On occasion, yes. But we mostly refrain from practicing our magic outside of the training hall.”

As we neared the top of the stairs, I realized I wasn’t sure what I should do next. On the one hand, I really wanted to go back and check on Sadie, but there was nothing I could do but sit and watch and probably get in Jaz’s way. On the other, I didn’t want to leave the demigods alone to roam the halls of the 21st Nome.

_ Why not give them a tour of our facilities? _ Anubis suggested, startling me out of my thoughts.

I hesitated, uncertain.  _ I thought you would be all for keeping them locked in their rooms, away from the secrets of the Brooklyn House? _

I could almost feel Anubis shrug.  _ That would be the preferred option, yes. But I highly doubt they would agree to do so willingly. The fire godling can barely stop moving his hands as is; I shudder to imagine how that might escalate if confined to a smaller quarters. _

I looked over to see that Leo was now indeed fiddling with some random junk he’d pulled from that toolbelt of his.

_ Besides, _ the god included with a hint of pride,  _ it might be wise to display our setup. Show them how strong the 21st Nome is and how we are not ones to be made an enemy of. _

So that was Anubis’ true intention. I snorted, but giving Percy and Leo a tour didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world. It was certainly more productive than continuing my vigil, no matter how much my heart ached to go and watch over Sadie.

Once we emerged into the Great Room, I turned to the demigods. “How about I show you around the Brooklyn House. It looks like you’ll be staying here for a while, or, at least, until Sadie regains consciousness.”

Percy flashed me an easygoing smile, saying “Sounds like fun.”

Starting with the Great Room, I led the demigods around the first floor, revisiting the kitchen and bringing them out to the patio where Phillip of Macedonia was sleeping in the pool. As we made our way through the various rooms of the Brooklyn House’s second and third floors, I gradually became aware that the older demigod was looking less and less impressed. Casting a critical, sea-green gaze over everything, I would occasionally catch him shaking his head or frowning with disappointment. Initially, Percy’s reactions baffled me. To any normal mortal, the Brooklyn House was a wonder to behold.

“There’s not a lot of people here.” Leo mentioned as we made our way to the armory.

I nodded. “With the exception of the360th Nome in Antarctica, the Twenty-First Nome is the smallest in number and physical size. Even so, most of our older initiates are away at the moment- college finals and all.” 

Leo looked up from whatever he was fiddling with. “You guys still go to school?”

“Yes. Carter insisted on it.” I explained, slowing as I looked back at the demigods, seeing twin expressions of disbelief. “He saw no reason why they couldn’t further both their normal education and their magical knowledge at the same time.”

Percy blinked a few times. It was almost as if the notion of part-time training was a completely foreign concept to him.

“I’m guessing that’s not the situation at these ‘camps’ of yours?” I ventured to guess.

Percy shrugged. “Some people try, but those who do are usually hunted down by monsters. The only real safe place is within the boundaries of our camp. We all basically live there for most of the year. Like one big, dysfunctional family.”

“Emphasis on dysfunctional.” Leo snorted, turning his attention back to the project in his hands. “Seriously, the kids in the Aires cabin need to lighten up.”

“You’re the one who turned the washing machine into a shredder.”

“Hey,” Leo protested, “they messed with my baby. I went  _ easy _ on them with the shredder.”

And just like a chord sliding through the loop of a charm I suddenly understood. These demigods had mentioned coming from some kind of camp, a very large camp from the sound of it. Put in perspective, the Brooklyn House probably looked like an overly large pavillion to them.

“Well, what we have isn’t much.” I mentioned as we left the armory, feeling some unexplainable need to defend the place that I’d grown to love. “But it’s home.”

Percy fixed me with a look, a knowing half-smile gracing his features as he nodded. As the tour continued, the demigod’s scrutiny all but ceased. “So, I’m guessing Egyptian magicians don’t attract monsters on a day to day basis if they can go to school.” He inquired instead.

“Most Egyptian monsters don’t reside on this plane of the Duat naturally.” I responded. “So going to school is generally safe. Most go home for the season and spend their vacations and breaks here, training and developing their magic.”

“And their parents are okay with it?”

I nodded at the older demigod. “For the most part, yes.”

“Were  _ your _ parents okay with it?” Leo specified, glancing up.

“My mother encouraged it, actually. My father…” I hesitated, not entirely sure how to explain my family’s predicament. But something on my face must have clued in the Son of Poseidon, because his expression turned serious.

“I’m sor-”

“Don’t be,” I interrupted hastily, waving aside the attempt of an apology. “In truth, I never knew the guy, he died when he was twenty.”

“Some kind of cancer? Homicide?” The hispanic asked solemnly, before adding, “Or did a sphinx get to him first?”

I shook my head with a short chortle. “Magical generational curse, technically. But I guess terminal cancer is the closest equivalent.”

“Oh…” Leo’s eyebrows rose and he was speechless for once.

“Ever heard of Tutankhamun?” I don’t know what possessed me to elaborate on my father’s heritage, but the words tumbled out before I could hold them in.

Percy tapped his chin, saying, “The boy king?” Leo looked sidelong at his fellow demigod, shocked and impressed. Percy shrugged. “What? Annabeth likes to watch the history channel. He died at nineteen- I think.”

“Eighteen, actually.” I corrected. “King Tut’s father, Akhenaten, wanted to obliterate the worship of the gods. So the priests cursed all of his offspring with a shortened lifespan. Practicing magic only speeds up the effect of the curse, I learned that the hard way.”

Leo looked at me in concern. “Wait- so does that mean that you…” He didn’t finish but I understood the unspoken query.

“No.” I assured him, “I’m not going to the Afterlife anytime soon. I’m currently hosting the god, Anubis-”

Percy snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “So that’s who Jackal Boy is!” He declared in triumph.

I started as the demigod uttered Sadie’s private nickname for me. “H-How did you-”

“Had a dream.”

I gave him a long look. “...right.”

“So, hosting?” Leo interjected, bringing focus back to the prior topic. “Does that mean you have a God in one of your guestrooms or something?”

I tried to imagine Anubis staying in one of the extra rooms on the second floor. “Not a guest room exactly. Hosting a god means our essences are fused. It’s like… having your own personal Jiminy Cricket in your head.” I explained, borrowing Sadie’s analogy. “Hosting Anubis has allowed me to temporarily nullify the curse.”

Percy tilted his head. “Temporarily?”

“If Anubis leaves my body, I’ll deteriorate faster than a sand castle in a hurricane.” A realization I had long since come to terms with. I would be hosting the God of Death until the day I died; it was an irony I couldn’t escape.

Leo’s musings permeated my thoughts. “Wild guess here but is ‘A-new-bus’ the God of cars?”

I couldn’t help but to laugh at that, and I felt an inkling of confusion radiate from Anubis in the depth of my mind. “Anubis is the Egyptian God of Death and-”

“Walt!”

Spinning, I saw Jaz hurrying towards me, panting slightly. My stomach dropped, thoughts immediately switching to Sadie. If Jaz was here... “What happened?”

“I couldn’t find you,” the words tumbled from the healer’s tired mouth in a rush. “I was looking everywhere but Zia said she hadn’t seen you and Cleo mentioned you going back upstairs and-”

“Jaz!” I gripped her shoulder, forcing the girl to look at me. “What. Happened. Is Sadie okay?”

The healer took a deep breath. “She’s awake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Whew... that was long. I'm tired just remembering how many days I spent writing this chapter (lots. lots of days).
> 
> Wishing everyone a great Friday and start to the weekend!  
> <3
> 
> p.s. oh- and as usual reviews are like drugs to writers so please help encourage my addiction :P


	19. The Crossroad of Dieties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadie dreams (and is notably NOT stamped to death by Dumbo), and Serbs schemes, and Percy is... grounded?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> A late post today, was driving back home for most of this afternoon and just got back an hour ago :) got to see the family and the puppy, which is always a treat.
> 
> I hope y’all had a wonderful weekend as well!
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Sadie POV)**

So, just to recap, within the past of forty-eight hours I have been subjected to burnt-scone tasting coffee, a flying ship, Greek-slash-Egyptian Sphinx hybrids, a snake lady and her flying rainbow serpent, an exploding portal, a dream argument with my boyfriend who is hosting a god. I think that about sums up everything.

Oh, right- I almost forgot to mention the war elephants and crazy barbies.

My dream in the graveyard didn’t last long after Percy disappeared. The demigod’s leave was abrupt, his transparent purple form unravelling like a tugged string. I barely spared it a thought (I mean, butting into someone else’s dream? Rude!) continuing my conversation with Walt as he explained that he couldn’t sense Carters presence, only mine. But before much more could be conveyed, the rest of the graveyard scene bagan to unwind.

As the dream came to a close, I shut my eyes, waiting for the familiar return of my senses as I regained consciousness. After a long moment of nothing happening, I opened them again. Only to find myself staring down a giant elephant with steel armor framing it’s forehead and silver cuffs adorning its ivory tusks.

I yelped in surprise and scrambled backwards, the elephant trumpeting and lumbering after me. Another bugle sound came from behind and I dared a glance over my shoulder to find that there was a second, much larger elephant donned in gold plates charging towards me. One of its tusks was broken at the end, but my mind barely processed that information before my battle instincts kicked in and I did the most logical thing an all-powerful magician of the House of Life could do in this situation.

I ducked.

Arms over my head, I felt the ground tremor as the two beasts collided, a clang of metal grating through my ears. I tensed, fully expecting to be trampled by a stray hoof (did elephants have hooves?), the only thought running through my mind being:  _ Great, I survived death by sand vortex only to get squashed by Dumbo _ .

But then the elephant's foot went  _ through _ me. Blinking, I looked down at my body to see that I was still in my transparent blue form. The see-through hue wonderfully incorporeal. I had never been so happy to be dreaming.

No longer under the threat of imminent death, I took a careful look at my surroundings. I was in some open air colosseum-shaped structure: the benches of which were packed with cheering, toga-wearing spectators. Following their gaze I saw that atop of the two elephants were smaller figures, similarly dressed for battle; one wielding a long, wicked looking glaive, the other gripping a simple gold spear. As their mounts butted heads again, the riders struck out at one another, glaive kid landing a solid smack on spear guy’s shield.

_ Some kind of tournament? _ The part of my brain not reeling in shock rationalized.

I willed myself into kite form, my  _ ba _ rising above the colosseum-style ring. A white banner hanging above the entryway declared ‘Colosseum Championship Preliminary Rounds’ in crudely painted black words. Scattered across the valley I found myself in were old-style buildings with marble columns, wooden pavilions, and large tents held up by metal struts. The whole setup looked like it was from medieval times, and yet, there was a skyscraper-peppered skyline rising above the distant hills.

Looking back at the elephant fight, I saw that the battle was nearly over. Spear guy had somehow gained the upper hand, drawing back for one final thrust that slipped through his opponent's guard. The blow landed on glaive kids shoulder, the force knocking the armored warrior off of the silver plated elephant.

A collective “Ooh…” rose from the spectators, only to be quickly followed up by celebratory cheers as the winner steered it’s mount in a victory lap around the colosseum. The indistinct shouting slowly turned into a chant of “ _ Rey-na! Rey-na! Rey-na! _ ”

The warrior removed his helmet. A braid of obsidian black hair tumbling from underneath the spartan-like helm. The muscled chick raised her hand and the whole arena silenced instantly.

“A well fought battle.” The girl declared, her voice easily filling the colosseum. “And though I claim victory, there is much to be learned from defeat. Do not let-”

Her rousing speech was interrupted when a spectator yelled and pointed to the sky. All eyes followed the finger’s direction east, gasps and shouts ringing through the arena as everyone saw what I did: a strikingly familiar, swirling blue light that flashed in the distance.

I willed my  _ ba _ towards the light, remembering Walt’s reaction when I asked about Carter. But like a radio with a poor connection, the landscape flashing below me flickered. Changing from the mountain green to the varying brown and tan hues of a desert. Spread before me was an equally ancient-looking town, with squat, rectangular buildings and winding, dusty roads. Three pyramids loomed in the distance.

Egypt.

Against my will, I was pulled towards one of the larger buildings, the reinforced structure strangely reminiscent of the spartan-like ones from my other dream. There was a hazy blue-tinged aura surrounding it- the Duat bending and twisting in an unnatural flow:  _ magic _ my brain supplied helpfully. I didn’t have long to admire the architecture (not that I found the columns and beams particularly interesting anyhow) before my  _ ba _ was pulled inside, passing by rows of neatly stacked books and scrolls before finally coming to a stop in an open-air courtyard of sorts, with statues at each of the cardinal points.

Surprisingly, I recognized the place. Or, at least, I had a pretty good idea what this building was: The Library of Alexandria, the world’s largest collection of knowledge in the ancient world (What? Just because I don’t  _ actively _ listen to my brother doesn’t mean I’m deaf to his nerd rants).

No doubt Carter would have described the old library in  _ excruciating _ detail, with exact measurements of each room, boring history of every statue, complete with footnotes on it’s construction.

I will spare you that pain.

It’s big. It’s full of magic. It’s got a lot of old books.

There. Sorted.

Regardless of how impressive the building was, there was something off-putting about it. A niggling sensation that had me twisting over my shoulder to inspect the empty walkways. Before I could hone in on the cause of my discomfort, I saw movement in my periphery. Glancing over, I saw a young man, dressed in drab brown scholarly robes crossing an open air courtyard towards me. Carefully cradled between thin arms was a myriad of scrolls, each looking more worn and wrinkled than the next. After gently setting his load down on one of the half dozen stone tables lining the perimeter, the man glancing around in a not-at-all-suspicious way before sinking into the adjacent chair.

From my elevated view, I was able to see what the man could not, watching as four young girls turned the corner. They looked like identical quadruplets, donning similar pure white sheath dresses. The only differentiating feature between the long, auburn-haired, tan-skinned, walking barbie doll models was their height. If they’d stood, smallest to largest, the top of their heads would create a perfect, positive line graph.

The young scholar was turned away from them, and thus he didn’t see the group stop abruptly, staring at the back of his head with something akin to shock. Then, the smallest of the four squealed, a huge smile spreading across her perfect rose lips.

She bounded across the space separating them faster than I could blink, and threw her arms around the base of his neck, yelling, “Setne!”

I blanched.

There was  _ no way _ in the whole of the Egyptian Afterlife that this gangly scholar was Evil Uncle Vinnie. The guy was just to… innocent looking. Setne was the embodiment of slimy; with his sickly charismatic words and sly, ulterior motives. He was flashy, mimicking Elvis’ style and always portraying a brash overconfidence that wasn’t far misplaced. He most certainly wasn’t a simple, brown-robe-wearing scholar.

But it was only when the young man turned, grinning at the girls, that it sunk in. Because, despite my denial, he had the same smile. Not as creepy or pretentious, granted. But there was that same smugness to his upturned lips, as if he were privy to secrets no one else knew.

I shuddered involuntarily, still trying to shake off my shock as two of the other three girls reached him. In a tumble of words they began speaking over each other; never getting a word or two in edgewise before one of the others would interrupt.

“You’re back! When did you-”

“Rereading Ptolemy’s teachings I see-”

“Your hair’s gotten so long-”

“Been too long since you visited-”

“Received a host of new scrolls-”

“Is that a new scar?What-”

I was just contemplating whether or not I could effectively plug my ears in a dream when, mercifully, the younger version of Setne raised his hand to stem the constant stream.

“Now what is the point of me sneaking in here past curfew if you go and alert everyone to my presence?” He chided, keeping his voice low. As soon as the words had left his mouth, the cause of my unease was made clear. Seeing the halls of a supposedly famous library all but empty was just off-putting.

“It’s  _ boring _ without you here.” The smallest of the barbies whined.

“Everything that’s not music is boring to you, Aoide.” The second smallest commented, with an animated roll of her eyes.

Glaring, the girl named Aoide shot back, “Well, at least I don’t constantly have a stick up my-”

“Meléte, Aoide, that’s enough.”

The budding argument ceased instantly, both girls ducking their heads with a mumbled, “Sorry,” as the tallest barbie finally joined the congregation. Young Setne’s gaze softened upon seeing her, a softer-than-normal smirk creasing his face. He bowed his head in her direction.

“Arche. You and your sisters look well.”

The tallest barbie, Arche, shrugged noncommittally. “As do you. I’m afraid the library hasn’t quite been the same since your leave. Alexandria’s new rulers are… thorough with their conquering.”

“No one comes to pray to us anymore.” Aoide added, crossing her arms with a huff. “Not since all those  _ other _ gods were created last- when was it again, Thelxinóe?”

“Fourth sun of the second lunar cycle of the last solar year.” The second oldest sister supplied.

“Yeah, the fourth sun of the…well, it’s been a long time.”

“Their mistake,” Young Setne said, placing a hand on one of the scrolls. “But I see the inventory has continued to expand?”

“Yes.” Arche stepped forth, picking up one of the newer looking tomes and studying it’s clean cover. “The Romans seem to covet knowledge to the same extent as the Egyptians did. Their use of magic is… intriguing, to say the least.”

An eyebrow raised slightly as Young Setne glanced at the nearby shelves. “I did not know the Romans practiced magic.”

Meléte snorted, “If you could even call it ‘magic’. Truly, it is in a most crude form. Nothing compared to the elegance that once filled our library’s halls.”

“Yet still strong enough to defeat the Egyptians.” Thelxinoe admitted.

Young Setne rubbed his chin, lips pursed. “Intriguing indeed…”

The image of the library spasmed. I turned my attention away from the conversation and scanned the area, my  _ ba _ form twisting around in midair. But instead of seeing the neatly organized rows of boring bookshelves, I was staring out at an endless expanse of sea.

_ Okay… _ I thought to myself,  _ since when did the desert country of Egypt get its own ocean? _

The answer became clear the moment I looked over my shoulder to see the silhouette of the Empire State building framed by a flaming orange sunset. I actually recognized the area: Rockaway Beach, in Queens, NY. Me and some of the other Brooklyn House initiates had gone down there one weekend during summer for a special training session. 

(And- just for the record- no, I was  _ not _ the one who destroyed the pier. That was completely Carter’s fault.)

“What do you mean, ‘ _ more time _ ’?” A familiar voice screeched from my left.

Setne was back to his current, Elvis-imitating self again, charcoal hair slicked back with an overbearing amount of hair gel. He stood near an empty ‘Robs Dogs’ portable hot dog stand, facing a small group of four girls sitting at the nearby table. Now, please don’t think me stupid. Yes, I realized these were the same barbie girls from my last dream, but they looked… less picturesque.

Aoide was now dressed in colorful bell bottoms, her tie-dye top half bent over a broken guitar on the table. Meléte had cut her hair short, wearing an all black leather outfit as she spun a wicked-looking dagger effortlessly between her fingers. A pair of Ray Ban sunglasses sat crookedly on Thelxinóe’s head, the second tallest of the sisters sporting a simple green t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was drawn back into a braid that cascaded over her shoulder as her eyes skimmed the pages of a worn book.

The only one who looked remotely the same was Arche, her speckled grey and white robe scraping the boardwalk as she took a step towards Setne. “When I say ‘more time’ it means that it will take ‘more time’.” The eldest sister said tightly.

Thelxinóe turned the page. “It’s not as simple as casting a spell. We’re trying to recreate the past in the present.”

“The  _ new _ Alexandrian Library will be a beacon to the gods,” Arche declared with pride. “A pinnacle of modern achievement. A crossroads of deities: Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse... all will gather here.”

“And all shall perish.” Meléte interjected giddily, starting to play the fastest game of ‘5 Finger Fillet’ I’d ever seen: Stabbing the space between her spread fingers as she spoke.

“All shall suffer as we had suffered-”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Setne drawled, rolling his eyes. “Revenge is a dish best served bloody and all… But why are you telling me the plan? I already  _ know _ the plan, I made up the plan: It’s  _ my _ plan. What I don’t know is how close you are to  _ completing it! _ ” The resurrected magician practically shouted the last words, slamming a hand onto the plastic table.

The sisters hissed at the outburst.

“Always so impatient.” Thelxinóe shook her head. “These things take time, you know.”

“Yes,” Meléte agreed, dancing her blade across the already marked up furniture and leaving more grooves in its wake. “Weaving the strands of various magics is not as easy as it looks.”

“There must be a balance.” Arche stood, “Always a balance.Unbalanced is unstable, and instability-”

Quicker than I could blink, Meléte slashed her knife across one of the table legs; the metal appendage clattering to the floor. The plastic table itself quickly followed, the weight unevenly supported by the remaining three legs. The instrument Aoide was working on was sent crashing to the ground, the multiple parts splintering into pieces upon impact.

“-is easy to break.” The eldest sister concluded.

“Hey, you did that on purpose!” Aoide whined, staring sadly at the shattered guitar.

“Oopsie.” Meléte giggled, then the girl ducked as the fingerboard of the broken instrument smashed into the wall behind where her head had been.

“Missed me missed me!” Meléte taunted, sticking out her tongue. With a yell of defiance, Aoide ran after her older sibling, chasing the girl around the portable food stand. Setne watched them for a bored moment before looking back towards the two remaining sisters.

“Our timetable has been moved up. The library needs to be constructed  _ now _ .”

“Three days.” Arche countered.

“One.” Setne’s voice had dropped to a growl. “Unless you wish to return to the Duat.”

Thelxinóe looked up from her book, lips turned down in a frown. “Is that a threat?”

“A promise.” Setne shot back. “If I do not succeed, the Chief Lector will banish you all to the deepest layers along with Hathor. The only way we remain in this plane is by winning. That, Thelxinóe, is a promise.”

Arche studied the shrewd man before her. As the dream faded to black, I heard her say, “Then we shall win.”

I don’t know how long I remained in that black limbo, but when I next opened my eyes, I was staring at the recognizable, copper ceiling of the 21st Nome’s infirmary. A late afternoon sun shone through the tall windows, filling the room with natural light. For a moment longer, I laid there, just breathing in the scent of Jaz’s potions and cinnamon incense. Then the full weight of Setne’s plotting crashed down on me and I bolted upright. My body didn’t appreciate the sudden motion, the room spinning dizzyingly as I groaned, shutting my eyes again.

“Sadie,” I heard the familiar voice of Jaz exclaim from somewhere to my left. “You’re awake! Thank the gods.”

“How long was I out?” I asked, pressing the heel of my palm against my forehead in a vain attempt to get rid of the throbbing.

“Almost an entire day.”

A curse slipped through my lips. I’d been out of commision before, but never for more than a few hours. There was no time to lose, the others had to know about this library. I made to stand, but the moment I was supporting my own weight, the room pitched sideways. My body would have followed had it not been for Jaz. The healer was at my side in an instant, her hands gently forcing me back down onto the mattress.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jaz asked, channeling her inner mother-hen.

I stood back up. “I’m going to go find Walt.”

Jaz blocked my way. “You,” She said pointedly, “will remain here, in the infirmary, until I say otherwise.”

“I-”

But the healer had only paused for a short breath. “I’ll go get Walt and bring him here, while  _ you _ stay in bed.” 

“Fine,” I huffed, crossing my arms as I allowed Jaz to corral me back to the bed. “But if he’s not here in five minutes then I am going to find him myself.” I called as she was nearing the exit.

Tapping my foot in rapid succession against the tiled floor, I let my gaze roam around the infirmary absently. Eventually, my gaze settled on the small table next to my cot. The glass of water Jaz had offered me stood untouched; distorted black and gold colors refracting through the transparent container. My forehead creased as I reached over, moving the water out of the way. The pendant Walt had given me was resting on a folded cloth, a sharp fissure splitting the scarab charm down its center. 

Before I could study it further, Jaz returned- as promised- with Walt. The two magicians turning the corner at a brisk jog. The healer sat down heavily on one of the stools, breathing heavily and I realized that she’d taken my threat of going to find Walt myself a little  _ too _ seriously (I mean, honestly, I was just joking). I was a little surprised to see the two demigods following close behind. Leo was panting from the run and Percy- although he didn’t outwardly look winded- was holding his side, grimacing slightly.

Upon seeing me, Walt cracked a tired smile. Without a word, he crossed the room to where I sat and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. At first, I felt relieved, reciprocating the gesture and leaning into the warmth and comfort his embrace provided. My worries and concerns magically melted away without so much as a spell, or wave of a wand. Just him being there was enough to reassure me that everything was going to be okay.

Then I remembered I was supposed to still be mad at him for not coming with us. Plastering a halfhearted scowl on my face, I ended the hug prematurely.

“Sadie,” I tried to ignore the undertone of hurt in his voice. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, just  _ peachy _ .” I growled; focusing on my annoyance instead of the jumbled mess of my other emotions. “My brother is AWOL, Setne’s making some deal with four crazy barbies, and, even though I feel perfectly fine, Jaz insists on confining me to bed rest!”

“Carter’s fine.” Percy assured, my gaze darting to him as he continued. “He and Annabeth somehow ended up in California, but some friends of ours are taking care of them.”

I thought back to my elephant dream. “Is this ‘friend’ of yours named Reyna, by chance?”

“Yeah, how did you…” Percy blinked, then shook his head, waving a hand, “you know what, nevermind.”

Uncrossing my arms, I let loose a sigh. “So my brother is in the hands of some spartan chick on the opposite end of the country? I bet Zia’s thrilled about that.”

“Are we all going to ignore the fact she said something about crazy barbies?” Leo wondered aloud.

The hispanic had a point, and I told them about the four girls. As I recounted the dream, Percy sat down on the edge of an adjacent cot, wincing slightly as I finished with, “And then the oldest one, Arci or whatever her name was, said they would just have to win.”

“Arche?” Walt cursed. “Setne’s raised the Muses.”

“The whoses?” Leo parroted, looking as confused as I felt.

“The sisters- the, uh, ‘crazy barbies’- they’re probably the four Muse sisters. According to Anubis, they used to be the protectors of the Alexandrian Library. Purveyors of the knowledge collected there,” Walt explained. “Arche, the eldest, is the muse of history. Thelxinóe, the muse of memory. Meléte, the muse of practice. And Aoide, the muse of song.”

“Wait a second…” Percy was frowning. “Those names sound familiar. I… think I’ve met them, actually. But, aren’t there supposed to be, like, nine of them? Not four?”

Leo snorted. “Well which is it- nine or four? There’s a marginal difference there.”

“Well, the last time I saw then was back in-” The demigod paused for a beat, eyes darting to Walt and Jaz before he continued the thought, “-Olympus. After the war with Kronos. And there were nine of them then.”

Jaz had frowned. “… Olympus?”

“In your mythos, maybe.” Walt mused. “But in their original, historical origin there were only four.”

“Their… mythos?” The healer was looking abundantly confused. “ _ What _ are you guys talking about?”

I cleared my throat. “Jaz, meet Percy and Leo, Greek half-god kids.”

“Demigods.” Percy corrected.

“Oh…” Jaz blinked a few times, her voice small. “Okay then…”

She was taking it better than I’d thought she would. But we didn’t have the time to explain everything from the beginning. We had a library to destroy. I made to stand, but again my body disagreed with the action. The infirmary was tilting, white dots speckling my periphery. 

“Whoa there, where do you think you’re going?”

The rocking stopped and it took me a moment to realize Walt had his hand on my shoulder to steady me.

“Uh, Rockaway Beach. Duh.” I glanced at him.

“Oh no, you’re sitting this one out.”

I gaped at him for a long second before I found the words I was looking for. “ _ Excuse me _ -”

Jaz stepped forwards. “Sadie, you took a really bad hit.” The healer pointed out. “You’ve been unconscious for almost the entire day and I  _ still  _ don’t know the extent of your injuries-”

“I don’t care, I’m going.” My eyes snapped to Walt as he started to object, my own words rolling over his. “You may have grounded my boyfriend but you can’t ground me too, Jackal Boy.”

Was I being childish? Sure. But it was  _ my _ dream that clued us in to Evil Uncle Vinnie’s dealings. And I wasn’t about to sit it out at the Brooklyn House just twiddling my thumbs. I was  _ not _ going to be sidelined like some secondary character in a B-rated movie.

“Sadie I can’t just…” Walt trailed off cocking his head slightly. His brow pinched and I recognized the expression: he was conversing with Anubis. After a moment he relented with a sigh. “Fine, how about this. If you can cast a simple  _ Ha-Di _ spell, you can come with.”

I snorted. “Deal.”  _ Ha-Di _ spells were my forte. I raised my hand, the divine word on the tip of my tongue when the last three words Walt said registered in my mind. I lowered my hand. “Wait- come with?”

Walt raised his eyebrows. “If you think I’m letting you run off on your own again after seeing where it landed you last time, you’re more injured than I thought.”.

I grinned at that before refocusing on casting the spell. Extending my palm towards the cup of water on the nightstand, I reached for my magic, preparing to channel it as I spoke the divine words.

“ _ Ha-Di _ !”

… The glass remained intact. No explosion, no breaking. Nothing. Not even a chip in the transparent tableware. I frowned, probing deeper into my magical reserves. A lance of ice shot up my spine, causing me to suck in a sharp breath. It was so  _ cold _ , and yet it burned hotter than the desert sun. I retreated from the void that existed where my magic should have been, my chest tightening with fear.

“What…” I didn’t even know how to put the question into words.

“Total reserve drain.” Jaz muttered in amazement, more to herself than to the rest of us. When she caught us all staring at her she cleared her throat, repeating in a louder voice, “Her reserves are completely dried up.”

“What in Horus does that mean?” I demanded, confusion and frustration quickly replacing my initial panic. “Do I need to be jump started like a car battery? Is there a potion to restore my magic? Or am I out of magic for good?” My voice wavered slightly on that last one.

“Your magic will recover.” Jaz hurried to assure, “Cases of a total reserve drain are rare, but there is a way to replenish the lost energy. It will just take some time, and some medication.”

“Guessing that doesn’t come in cherry flavor?” The hispanic asked.

Jaz gave an apologetic smile. “Afraid not.”

I let out a breath. As much as I dreaded taking Jaz’s potion, I couldn’t even imagine living without my magic. It had become such an integral part of my life, and losing it… I shuddered.  _ No _ ,  _ don’t think about that. You’re fine. Everything is going to be fine. _

Walt nodded at the healer, his stoic expression indicating he’d expected such an outcome. “It’s settled then. You’re staying here until you’ve recovered. I’ll go stop the Muses-”

“By yourself?” I interjected hastily. “There’s no way-” My objection halted as Walt raised his hand to stop me.

“I never said that. I never planned on going alone, I was going to have Zia join me. Besides,” He added. “I think she would welcome the opportunity to blow off some steam.”

“Literally.” Leo mumbled under his breath.

But Walt wasn’t done. “And I was thinking…” His gaze slid to the two demigods.

Nodding at the unspoken question, Percy said. “We’ll come too. That way we can even the odds; make it four on four.”

Walt dipped his head in thanks. “Take a few minutes to get ready and then meet me on the roof.”

The older demigod nodded, his body tensing as he made to stand. As they began to leave, I noticed that Percy was still massaging his side. I stared at the strange behavior, the gears in my mind slowly clicking into place.

“Hang on! How come he gets to go but not me?”

Percy stopped and looked back with a perplexed expression. “Probably because I’m not the one who was knocked out for an entire day.” He suggested with a shrug.

“But you’re still injured.” I pointed out.

Jaz’s eyes bulged a bit and they snapped over to Percy. “ _ Tafas _ .” She commanded, her eyes flashing green with magic. Her gaze travelled up and down his body before she dropped the spell and declared, “ _ Three _ cracked ribs!  _ And _ major bruising on two others- young man, you’d better get your butt in a bed.”

Leo looked just as surprised, expression dubious as he glanced at his fellow demigod. “Seriously, Percy?”

Percy, for his part, looked flustered. “What? No- I’m fine, really, guys. This is nothing-”

“Bed.” Jaz snapped her fingers and pointed to the cot next to mine. “Now.”

“Look, just give me thirty minutes to shower and I’ll be good as new.” The demigod insisted.

I ignored the strange request, saying, “We don’t  _ have _ thirty minutes to spare. In my dream, the barbie’s said they’d be ready to start rebuilding the library in twenty four hours; and that was at sundown of at  _ least _ last night if i’ve really been out for a day.”

Without glancing out at the rapidly fading light, Percy countered with, “All the more reason I should go and-”

“Overstain yourself again?” Leo crossed his arms, looking serious for once as he addressed his fellow demigod. “Look, we’ve got this, Aquaman. Three on four? Be honest, we’ve had worse odds and still come out on top. Besides,” The hispanic added. “If anything happens to you, I’m the one who’s going to have to tell Annabeth I let you go. And then she’s going to kill me first.”

Percy huffed. “… Fine. Just be careful. All of you.”

Leo’s signature smile was back. “Aren’t we always?”

Percy, Jaz, and I all answered in unison.

“No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who leaves reviews and kudos!  
> <3


	20. A God, a Magician, and a Demigod Walk Into a Library…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo does NOT tamper with someone else's ship, Zia manages to reign in her temper, and Walt is seriously reconsidering his plan.
> 
> Or: Leo, Zia, and Walt go to stop the muses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I hope you've had a good start to your week! Halloween is fast approaching and I cannot wait for all the candy to be on sale!
> 
> EDIT: Oh my GODS! I cannot believe I forgot the freaking chapter title?!?!!
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Leo POV)**

_ He would not tamper with someone else’s ship. _

_ He would not tamper with someone else’s ship. _

_ He would not tamper with someone else’s ship. _

Those words had become Leo’s mantra for the past five minutes, even as his eyes scanned over every strand of the reed barque boat. The entire construction of the flying ship intrigued him: there were no powerplant devices, no thrust providers, no wiring or cables- the steering wheel didn’t even appear to be connected to anything! Leo’s fingers were just itching to dive into the structure of woven strands and find out how this thing ticked. One hand was already stretching towards the side of the boat when the demigod caught himself, snapping the appendage back to his chest.

_ He would  _ not _ tamper with someone else’s ship. _

Not that it would be a good idea to reverse engineer the boat while it was mid-flight; but just to be on the safe side, Leo pulled out an array of wires and transistors from his toolbelt to keep himself occupied. 

They’d been flying for at least ten minutes now, heading towards Rockaway Beach as per Sadie’s instruction. Zia was at the helm and Walt sat closer to the bow on the left: The magician stoically staring off into the clouds, occasionally frowning or shaking his head as he talked to himself (or- rather- as he talked to the god stuck in his head).

It was an impressive fifteen seconds more before Leo broke his mantra, his hands abandoning the small breadboard to trail along the rim of the starboard side. He inspected the thicker chords, pinching the springy material between his fingertips, mind alighting on potential designs for mounted weaponry. Weight would be the biggest issue, he determined. Leo wouldn’t be able to construct anything heavy or else the boat’s hull would crumple under the stress.

He would also have to compensate for recoil. Unlike his Spanking Hot War Machine, this grass canoe wouldn’t be able to sustain the same amount of output force without serious modifications. With his eyes, he traced one of the fibrous strands back to the helm, noting how the reed was interwoven with other pieces that attached to the main control device.

Now if he could only see how the wheel worked…

But to do so, he’d first have to get past the scary, fire breathing elementalist. And that was no easy feat as he’d discovered early on in their journey. Leo had tried to crack a few jokes and disperse the tension, but every word out of his mouth only seemed to vex the stubborn elementalist. Eventually, the Son of Hephaestus had stopped trying, the silence leading him to ponder the workings of the ship. Which had led him to his current predicament of insatiable curiosity.

“You know,” the demigod began casually, “if you just let me look at the controls I could outfit her with some really awesome side cannons-”

Zia’s gaze snapped over to glare at the demigod.

“I could make them out of purely organic materials,” He offered, refusing to be deterred. “Keep up with the whole ‘Tom Sawyer’ feel and everything. I’ll even throw in the ‘Thanks-For-Not-Killing-Me’ discount!”

By the literal smoke rising from her head, the demigod doubted Zia cared much about the organic materials or the discount. And while the structure of the boat was sound, Leo wasn’t a hundred percent sure it was fireproof. One of the many things the demigod planned to remedy if-slash-when he was given the go ahead to make some minor modifications.

But for now, Leo relented, swiveling back to admire the vibrant vermillion and marigold pattern spanning the sky. Looking out over the bow, the demigod could just make out the shores of the east coast on the horizon. As he stared absently, hands fiddling with the breadboard (there was now a potentiometer in the mix of electrical components), another question wormed its way into his mind.

The demigod turned back around to ask it, only to be met with a glower that conveyed more than Piper’s strongest charmspeak. Leo held up his hands defensively, saying, “It’s a legitimate question this time, I promise.”

Eyes narrowed and lips bent downwards but the fire elementalist nodded.

“If the boat can fly under its own power- sorry, ‘magic’- then why did you need the bird-lion earlier?”

“Freak is a griffin.” Zia corrected sharply, “not a bird-lion. And it was an emergency.”

“Oh, okay, so he’s like a turbo booster.”

A deep laugh pulled their attention to the port side. “There’s a bit more to it than that.” Walt said, having completed his internal conversation with the god. “Freak is a creature of magic, which means he can traverse the Duat with relative ease. Rockaway Beach is close to the Brooklyn House, so his service isn’t needed. Plus, bringing Freak into battle can get… messy.”

Fully intending to  _ not _ throw up for the second time in two days, the demigod didn’t press for an elaboration. Instead inquiring, “What exactly is this ‘Duat’ thing you guys keep talking about?”

It was Walt who answered, Zia having gone back to her silent vigil at the helm. “It’s a magical barrier of sorts.” He said. “It surrounds everything, binding the layers of the world together-”

“Alright, I get it-” Leo cut in. “I’ve seen Star Wars too.” He thought back to their short trip from the US capital to Brooklyn. “You’re saying that Freak the griffin can basically bend the fabric of the space time continuum? Where can I get one?”

Zia rolled her eyes while Walt laughed; both magicians apparently thinking that the demigod was joking. For once, he wasn’t. But before Leo could press the matter, Walt stiffened, snapping his head to stare over the bow. A slight tremor ran through the magician and he blinked slowly.

“Walt?” Zia frowned. 

“Do you feel that?”

Leo exchanged a confused look with the elementalist and was about to ask Walt what ‘that’ was, when a concussive wave of warmth radiated over the ship. The sudden wind was no normal force of nature. The Son of Hephaestus directed his gaze outwards, peering towards a tall, thin spire reaching up into the darkening sky. Another surge of humid air rolled over the boat, and despite the temperature increase, chills ran down Leo’s spine.

Zia had noticed as well. “Walt, do you think…”

The magician grimaced, pressing a hand to his forehead. “Yes. That’s the library. They’ve already completed it’s construction.”

Leo’s stomach dropped.  _ No…  _ They were too late.

“But…” Walt continued, brows pinched. “The magic is dormant.”

Zia narrowed her eyes towards the spire, intensely focused for a good minute. Then she relaxed (or rather- returned to her normal state of rigidity, as Leo would put it), nodding to her fellow magician. “It’s definitely not at full strength. Strange.”

Leo looked between the magicians and the plain, brick tower in the distance. “What in Zeus are you two talking about?”

Instead of answering with words, Walt dug through the backpack he’d brought. After a moment, his hand emerged, holding a small glass vial of pink liquid which he then offered to Leo. “Here. Put some on your eyelids.”

“Wow, that sounds like an automatic  _ no _ .”

“Don’t be a wuss.” Zia lamented. “Just put some on.”

Hesitantly, Leo accepted the hot pink ooze, dipping a finger into the goop and smearing it onto his eyelids. It was surprisingly cool, and a bit tingly, like a methanol rub. The demigod reopened his eyes and gaped.

The world was awash in color, the ground having become translucent- thick gelatinous layers descending into a deep charcoal void. The air around them rippled with shimmering veils, each one independently vibrant but slightly out of sync: almost as if multiple layers of a blueprint had been superimposed on a light table. Leo saw orange Greek symbols swirling around his body, random works that clashed and collided as he moved.

“Do- do you see like this all the time?” The demigod asked, looking at the two magicians.

“Gods of Egypt, no.” Zia grunted.

Walt concurred with a nod. “Magicians must concentrate to see into the Duat. That’s what you’re doing now- viewing the magical side of the world.”

The magicians were both surrounded by symbols as well; purple hieroglyphs dominating the space around Zia, while Walt’s were a combination of green and black- with the green maintaining a larger percentage. The boat itself was leaving a tawny brown vapor trail in its wake.

Leo resisted the strong urge to rub the goo off. Peering into the magical barriers between worlds? It was both awesome and terrifying all at once. He looked around again, noticing patterns in the shifting veils of color. Currents flowed between the layers of reality, reminding the mechanic of electricity flowing through a circuit.

“It’s very… colorful.” Leo commented.

Whenever people at camp talked about the Mist, the demigod always envisioned a grey curtain that separated the mortals from the mystical. Not a multi-spectrum layered cake of vibrant hues.

Then his focus was drawn to the lighthouse and his heart-rate doubled. The tower was glowing crimson from the inside, bands of light seeping through the walls and shooting through windows. Dark clouds swirled overhead, more tendrils of red energy reaching up towards the building from all over the landscape.

“The lighthouse,” Leo observed, “it’s attracting red light from all over the place.”

“Exactly.” Walt nodded. “In Egyptian magic, red represents evil and chaos. And yet, the magic is not strong enough to attract a god.”

“How would you kn-” The demigod cut himself off, recalling that Walt had a god in his head. “Nevermind. So then, if the Muse sisters have completed the building, why would they wait to power it up?”

In his experience, the bad guys rarely waited to enact their evil plans- unless it was a trap. Or unless they were waiting for a specific cosmic event like a solstice or eclipse or whatever. Or because they felt like monologuing. Or because- actually, the more Leo thought about it, the more he realized that the bad guys often delayed their plans for obscure and stupid reasons. 

“Sadie said that Setne was planning to attract all of the gods at once, right?” Zia spoke up, bringing the demigod from his musings. “Gods don’t particularly  _ like _ being summoned. And when a god isn’t pleased, they tend to smite the thing that displeased it.”

Leo picked up on the elementalists’ train of thought. “They need something to contain the gods before they summon them!”

“Or something to overpower them.” Walt rubbed his chin, looking back at the spire.

They were closer now, and Leo could see hieroglyphic birds and stick figures along with Greek and Latin lettering being pulled through the bricks. The red light dimmed momentarily before a pulse of energy expanded outwards. When it reached the trio, Leo again felt that unnaturally warm wind dance over his skin. And as the power retracted, it pulled a few other colors back with the red- orange, brown, green, purple and black. With another rush of clarity, the Son of Hephaestus realized that it was  _ their _ colors being pulled towards the storm. Leo shuddered again. Whatever was inside that building was tugging at them too, drawing them towards the vortex of evil.

“Alright, so what’s the plan? How do we stop the evil barbies?” Leo asked.

Walt thought for a moment. “If the Muses are indeed occupied with another task, then all we need to do is sneak in and destroy the conduit for the spell.”

“Guessing that’s one of those ‘easier said than done’ kind of plans?”

“It depends.” The magician shrugged. “If the conduit is a sigil, or an inscription, it won’t take much to break it. Making sure they can’t reactivate it… that’s going to be more difficult.”

Zia set the boat down on the beach a fair ways away from the building. They all disembarked, Zia speaking a command that caused the boat to flash marigold before disappearing. Not completely gone, Leo realized, just transparent. He could still see where the light from nearby street lamps distorted around the hull. The pink goo began to wear off as they crept towards the tower; the vibrancy of the various layers slowly paling. Leo couldn’t say he was disappointed; viewing the different layers of reality was starting to give him a sizeable headache.

Walt hummed as they approached the tower. “That’s interesting.”

“Good interesting or bad interesting?” Leo asked.

“Good?” The magician didn’t sound terribly sure of himself. “I can’t sense any magical barriers around the library. No warding charms or magic alarms.

“It could be a trap” Zia voiced.

“Or they might have non-magical defenses.” Leo mentioned. Not everything had to be done with magic, despite what the Egyptians seemed to believe.

Walt nodded at the advisement. “Anubis says that it’s more likely they just don’t want to waste the time and effort. Constructing a barrier would be counterintuitive since they  _ want _ to lure in the gods.” He explained.

The demigod couldn’t help but be impressed by the guts of these minor gods. Inviting multiple all-powerful beings they openly opposed to their doorstep seemed badass in a very suicidal way. Then again, Sadie  _ did _ call them crazy...

Even so, Leo nodded: Magic, as the demigod was quickly learning, was not his strong suit. He was much more comfortable with tangible things; blueprints, welding procedures, mechanical advantages, programming. Sure, his friends and even a few of his half-siblings considered some of Leo’s contraptions to be magic. But that was just because they couldn’t comprehend the fine-tuned inner workings of the devices.

But magic? It was just too weird, even for him. Granted, Leo himself had a tough time explaining his inbred ability to control fire and sense traps and other mechanical devices. However, the demigod had always viewed those talents as more of a hereditary curse. Like being short. Or having red hair.

They’d finally reached the base of the lighthouse, crouching in the dirt as lazy waves lapped at the nearby shore. Walt gripped one of his many amulets and whispered a word under his breath. There was a thrum of magic, and even with the goo wearing off Leo noticed a small halo of green framing the magicians eyes. A full minute passed before Walt dropped the spell with a curse.

“I can’t get a reading on the structure.” He muttered in annoyance. “There’s too much thaumaturgic interference.”

He had no idea what ‘thaumaturgic’ meant, but the Son of Hephaestus didn’t need to be a genius to figure out what the magician had tried to do. Unprompted, Leo placed his palm on the cool stone, his skin tingling at the contact. The demigod had always had the ability to perceive how machines worked with a single touch. But sensing metal components was a skill he’d only discovered recently; having spent so much time sleeping in Bunker Nine that he could practically  _ smell  _ the different alloying elements of any metal. Closing his eyes, he pushed out with his senses as he did on the Argo III, feeling the copper piping and 5056 rebar that the substructure was comprised of. Slowly, his mind pieced together the information, compiling a rough map of the inside.

“There’s only one entry point.” Leo relayed to the magicians, pulling away from the building. “Five stories with rows of tall metal sheets- bookshelves, I’m guessing, since this is supposed to be a library. The fifth floor has some kind of astrolabe-like sphere with large windows at the cardinal points. And there’s a wide open area on the first floor that the door opens into.”

Zia frowned at him. “How do you know all of that?”

The demigod shrugged with a smirk. “Call it magic. Or just my brilliant intuition.”

“So where are the Muses?” Walt asked.

Leo deflated a bit. “Dunno. I’m not that good with organic life forms.”

“They could be waiting just on the other side of the door.” The fire elementalist managed to sound peeved even when whispering.

After a time, Walt spoke. “It doesn’t matter. Our main priority is to take down the barrier.” His eyes met Leo’s. “How good are you at bluffing, lying, and being generally annoying?”

The demigod raised an eyebrow, “I’ve been told those are my most attractive qualities.”

Zia rolled her eyes. But given her experience on the flight earlier, couldn’t disagree.

“Good.” Walt smiled grimly. “Because I have a plan.”

* * *

The good news? Leo didn’t die immediately upon entering the library.

No pitfall traps. No exploding symbols. No sphinx’s. Just rows and rows of metal shelves filled with bound books that ringed the central space. On the walls, glowing red symbols (Egyptian hieroglyphs, Greek letters, Latin numbers, and a few other symbols he didn’t recognize) cast the inside of the tower in an eerie light.

The bad news? He wasn’t alone.

As Zia had predicted, the Muses were indeed waiting on the other side of the door. The entrance opened up into a wide room where the four gods mingled, oblivious to the demigod’s presence (for now). Barbies was a fairly apt description. Even though each was dressed in a different outfit, their faces were disturbingly identical. High cheekbones, eyes the color of clover, petit noses, and smooth amber locks. If they weren’t working for a crazy, evil, undead magician, Leo would be tempted to ask them out.

Off to one side of the open space was a long table piled high with books, where a Muse- the one with the glasses- was hunched over the table, carefully scribing in an open tome. Another Muse- dressed in gothic black leather- sat perched on the edge of the table, her legs swinging freely while she twisted a sharp-looking blade between her skinny fingers.

The other two were standing in the center of the room, next to a strange object. It looked like a coat rack. Three thick feet fanned out at the base for stability, a straight middle section stretching up towards the ceiling, and a group of prongs jutting out from the top. The bell-bottom hippie Muse with the guitar strapped across her back stood to the left of the contraption. The tallest, most modern looking god on the right. Their hands raised towards the stand. Thanks to the lingering effects of the pink goop, Leo could faintly make out the red tendrils of energy from both gods as they weaved the three prongs together.

Still unseen for the moment, Leo forced himself to take a steadying breath.  _ Get a grip, Valdez. You’ve talked to much scarier gods. _ Despite the internal pep talk, the demigod’s voice still wavered a bit as he stepped further into the room, waving a hand above his head and plastering the biggest, most goofiest grin on his face.

“Hello! Umm… are you guys the librarians?”

All four of the Muses looked up, and an uncomfortable silence followed his question.

Then the Hippie-Barbie cast a sidelight glance to the goth. “Mel, are you sure you used the correct incantation? We seem to be attracting mortals.”

“My execution was  _ perfect _ !” Goth-Barbie, Mel, snarled back, stabbing the table with her knife. “If anything it’s Thel that told me the wrong spell.”

Bookworm-Barbie glanced up from her tome, eyes narrowing. “Do you hold a qualm with my immaculate cognizance?”

Mel just huffed, waving off the accusation. “Nevermind- I’ll just kill the mortal.”

“What?” Leo blanched as the Goth-Barbie tugged her knife from the table. “No, no, I’m a _ magician _ . A, uh, a super powerful fire elementalist!”

“He does reek of flames…” Thel muttered, scrunching her nose and subconsciously shifting her book away from Leo.

The Hippie-Barbie tilted her head. “If you’re a magician, then where is your wand?”

“My wand? Oh, you mean this.” Leo fumbled around blindly in his tool belt for a second, grasping the first thing he could find. The Son of Hephaestus pulled it out triumphantly, brandishing the item before him with an overdramatic flourish.

The four Muses stared at the screwdriver.

“That is _ not _ a magical conduit.” Thel commented after a long moment.

“It’s the latest model. Don’t tell me you haven't heard of it? It’s all the rage in Egypt-”

Mel groaned. “Can we kill him  _ now _ ?”

“Hold on! Let’s have some manners here- can’t I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?” Leo declared, folding his arms and puffing out his chest with false bravado.

Goth-Barbie raised her eyebrow and grinned- or snarled, Leo couldn’t tell the difference- at him. “Such an amusing creature. I am Meléte, champion of everything.”

Leo raised an eyebrow.  _ How modest _ .

“I am Arche, the Muse of history.” The tallest one declared. “I have a working knowledge of everything that has come to pass in the universe.”

This time, he couldn’t stop from blurting, “Even taxes?”

Arche opened her mouth, then paused, “… I have a working knowledge of the  _ important _ things in the universe.” The Muse amended.

The bookworm took up the mantle next. “I am Thelxinόe, archivist of memories.”

“And I am Aoide,” The Hipster-Barbie introduced happily. “Master of songs, music, and every instrument known to man: Guitar, kazoo, flute, french horn, contra, piano, organ, bagpipe, bongo, mayonnaise-”

“Valdezinator?”

Aoide blinked at the interruption. “A… what?”

Leo fought to conceal a grin. “Oh, you know, just the single, most amazing musical device in the world! It’s incredibly rare. Why, there’s only one of them in existence.”

Aoide gaped at him for a moment before crying, “I  _ must _ have it!”

“So you’re  _ not  _ librarians, then?” Leo clarified.

Arche scowled. “We are the Muses: Curators of knowledge and patron to scholars.”

“Really? How convenient- I’m a scholar too! Honest,” the demigod added at the mirrored expressions of disbelief and doubt. “I’ve studied subatomic thermal mechanics, engineering, advanced circuitry, the art of taco making,” he listed, counting them off on his fingers. The demigod rattled off a few more areas of study, his eyes roving over the upper levels for some sign of the magicians. Whatever it was that they were doing he hoped they were doing it fast. Leo wasn’t sure how much longer he could distract the barbie-gods.

Eventually Arche interrupted his rant. “If you are as skilled as you claim, then perhaps you might be of assistance to us?”

“If he can’t help can we kill him?” Melete all but begged. “Oh please, oh please, oh  _ please _ can we?”

After a moment of contemplation, the taller Muse nodded. “If he does not prove of use, then yes, you may.”

The demigod swallowed hard as the Goth-Barbie whooped. “I’m sure there’ll be no need for that. So, what can genius extraordinaire Leo do for you?”

“Behold!” Arche swept a hand around the room. “The new center of our power. Once, when Alexandria still stood tall, scholars from all corners of the earth would journey to study under our tutelage. We shall recreate that here. Imagine it- this lighthouse will draw the gods to us like moths to a candle, and once we’ve consumed their power we will raise a great capital. This will be the sacred birthplace of the  _ new _ Library of Alexandria!”

“Uh… in Rockaway Beach?”

Meléte pursed her lips. “The creature has a point. That name won’t do at all.”

“What if we renamed it to Rockandria?” Aoide was practically bouncing. “Or-  _ or _ , we could call it Museway! That has a nice ring to it, don't cha think?”

“Yes.” Thelxinόe hummed, eyes flicking back to the unfinished coat hanger “But first we must finish its construction.”

For the first time, Leo got a good look at the strange, conical object. The base fanned out in three directions, with decorative feet. One was a detailed timber carving of a lion head, one was some sort of dog, and the last leg featured a snarling wolf. Only… they were all upside down, statuary gazes facing the skylight. The three wooden legs were in the middle of being intertwined to form the shaft of the object which- once completed- would easily reach chest height.

“That’s a cool coat stand.” Leo commented.

The Muses all laughed.

“This creature is quite funny.” Meléte smirked, “Perhaps once we have rebuilt our empire we can keep him around as a jester.”

Thelxinόe pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. “This is no coat rack. This is the essential verification our triumph. A caduceus that can regulate all outcomes- past, present, and future. With it’s interwoven strands of assorted hegemony, no god will be able to subjugate us in battle. We shall disperse of them to the deepest layer of the Duat, and we shall emerge from this venture victorious once more!”

The demigod stared at the staff, a myriad of ideas flashing through his mind. If it could really control time, then… he could fix  _ everything _ . Save his friends from Gaea’s wrath.Save Percy and Annabeth from falling into Tartarus. Save Piper’s dad from being kidnapped. Leo’s breath hitched. Maybe he could save his mom. Stop her from going back into the warehouse. Stop  _ himself _ from starting that fire.

His heart ached at the thought.

Meléte mistook Leo’s silence for confusion, scoffing, “Haven’t you learned by now, Thel? It's useless to lecture a human.”.

A minor tremor rippled through the lighthouse. The demigod forced himself not to react as the markings on the wall began to shift from a deep crimson to a lighter lavender hue. The Muses seemed to have sensed that something was off, the four gods falling silent with confused frowns.

Leo cleared his throat, prompting, “You were saying something about the Duat?”  _ Don’t let them look up _ . He had to divert their attention until Walt and Zia were finished.

“Yes, the Duat, the Duat! A wonderful place!” Aoide sighed wistfully. Then her expression twisted. “Except when it’s horrible. Then it’s horribly wonderful! Good for a visit, or an eternity- whichever ends last.”

Thelxinόe stepped in as the youngest Muse began giggling uncontrollably. “The gods essences shall supplement us for eons! And at last we will have our retribution.”

Another tremor rippled through the tower, stronger this time. The symbols were now a healthy sky blue.

Arche cast her gaze upwards, brows pinched. “Something is wrong.”

And  _ that _ was his cue to leave. “Well, thank you for the books, and the warning, and the threat on my life, but I really should be going…” Leo stammered, taking a slow step towards the door.

Thelxinόe scoffed. “Nonsense, you-“

Thelxinόe’s hand came to rest on his shoulder and a shock of electricity cascaded down Leo’s spine. The demigod and the Muse gasped simultaneously. Leo was sucked out of the lighthouse and into his head as memories flashed by in rapid succession. He saw himself at the wilderness school, laughing with Jason and Piper as the bus rumbled down a dusty road towards the grand canyon. Then he was walking into Bunker Nine for the first time. Disabling traps as he and his friends walked towards Mitas’ house. Fighting the giant Enceladus. Building the Argo II. Landing at Camp Jupiter.

A red film washed over his memories from that point on; every recollection involving a Roman demigod only causing the crimson film to darken. He and Hazel stood on the deck of the Argo II, then they were travelling to save Nico, then to the doors of death. He saw himself fighting side by side with Frank, and laughing with Jason. There was a flash of light, a spike of pain in his head and the memories ceased.

Thelexinόe had stepped back, eyes wide with shock. Then they narrowed at him.

“ _ Roman _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Ahhh, well... that's not great...  
> Yay cliffhangers!!!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments! It warms my heart and soul to see people enjoying my story :)
> 
> Until Thursday!  
> <3


	21. ... And All Hell Breaks Loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The muses attack, Zia fights back, and Leo is NOT a Roman!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Cliffhanger resolved! ... sort of.
> 
> Completely forgot to put the title to CH. 20 when I first updated it- Whoops!- but that should be fixed now. I’m posting this from my phone so pardon any spelling errors.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Leo POV)**

_ “Roman. _ ”

The Muse spat the word with such venom that Leo feared she was about to turn into a snake. Thelxinόe’s sisters gaped at the dmeigod for half a second before mirroring expressions of fury twisted their barbie-like features.

Leo- still reeling from the unexpected trip down memory lane- had no time to react as Meléte shifted, chucking her dagger like frisbee. It’s aim was true, knife end hurtling towards the demigods’ exposed chest-

_ Thunk! _

The Son of Hephaestus jerked back, eyes wide as he stared down at the knife. It was embedded all the way to the hilt in the magic barrier that had suddenly materialized. Still, the golden shield cracked under the sheer force of the blow, spiderweb fractures stretching to the four corners before the barrier shattered. As the knife clattered harmlessly to the ground, Meléte’s eyes snapped to where Walt crouched, half-hidden by a bookshelf, hand outstretched as one of his amulets crumbled.

“Anubis.” She growled.

At the unspoken cue, the Muses began their offensive. Aoide surging towards Leo while Meléte moved to engage with Walt, the magician hastily throwing up another shield. For such petite looking females, they were incredibly strong. And fast.

“Filthy  _ Roman! _ Get out of our Library. Get out. Get  _ out! _ Get  _ OUT! _ ” ” Aoide spat, accentuating each shout with a swing of her guitar.

“Technically, I’m Greek-”

But Leo’s declaration only seemed to infuriate the goddess further and she loosed an agitated cry. Leo backpedaled between the rows of bookshelves, swiveling and ducking and dodging. The Muses’ attacks instead slammed into the obstructions, dents beginning to pepper the metal shelves.

Now, normally, the hispanic would have taken this prime opportunity to crack a joke about the goddess being a hardcore fan of heavy metal. But he was too preoccupied with not getting hit. If that guitar could warp steel in a single blow, Leo worried at the damage it could to do his head. He had no intention of finding out. 

Leo darted to the end of the row while Thelxinόe began to chant from the dias, a red glow emanating from her palms. The goddess moved her hands slowly, drawing a symbol in the air with her magic. Even as he pulled out his hammer, the demigod’s multitasking brain felt the need to remind him that, when it came to magic,  _ red  _ means _ bad.  _ Really bad.

There was a yell of defiance and Leo spared a glance up as Zia joined the fray, dropping down from the second story like some kind of ninja, her staff descending in a murderous arc towards Arche’s head. Without so much as a glance, the tall goddess raised a lazy hand, uttering the monosyllabic word “ _ Déno _ .” 

Weirdly enough, Leo had understood the phrase. It was Greek for  _ Bind _ . Crimson ribbons rose to meet the elementalist, wrapping around her arms and legs like a mummy. Zia thunked to the ground, rolling slightly as Arche resumed her work on the staff. The elementalist squirmed against the restraints.

Arche scoffed at Zia’s efforts. “Don’t bother. Perfectly balanced spells are remarkably durable.”

Leo was afforded little time to dwell on the goddess’ turn of phrase, forced to refocus on his own opponent as Aoide lunged. It was all the demigod could do to to avoid her blows, the fervor of the goddesses’ swings providing no opportunity for a retaliatory strike.

_ Beaten to death by a guitar: _ Leo could practically hear the Stoll brothers laughing over his grave.

The Son of Hephaestus raised his weapon to deflect another of Aodie’s swings, the angle of his hammer causing the body of the guitar to ricochet to the side, leaving the Muses’ side exposed. Without hesitation, Leo took the opening. The demigod slammed his hammer into her midriff with enough force to send the goddess careening into a nearby shelf. The guitar broke on impact, snapping at the neck so only the strings were connecting the two halves. If Aoide had been human, her ribs would’ve shared the same fate as the instrument. As it was, the goddess merely crumpled to the floor with a groan, temporarily dazed. The bookshelf didn’t fare as well, starting to tip to an alarming degree before a soft red glow enveloped it, setting it straight.

“Be  _ careful _ with the tomes!” Thelxinόe cried from the table, lowering her hand. “It took me a whole _ two hours _ to transpose them.”

Ensured that her precious books were in no further danger, Thelxinόe continued with the incantation. The red lines had almost converged, and even though he was no expert in magic, Leo instinctively knew he  _ couldn’t _ let her finish the spell.

On impulse, Leo snatched up two books from a nearby shelf, waving them over his head to get the goddess’ attention. “These tomes?”

Instead of answering, Thelxinόe narrowed her eyes at him, incantation slowing. Leo’s lips twitched into a devilish grin as felt the prickle of flames on his fingertips, the fire easily licking up the spine of the book, curling into the binding and between the pages of the fresh tinder. An expression of horror quickly clouded the goddess’ face as she beheld her beloved books-turned-fireballs.

“Hot Potato!” Leo shouted, lobbing the flaming volumes in a high arc.

Thelxinόe’s attention was with the books and Leo turned, running down the length of the aisle and back. His hands trailed over the spines of countless tomes, leaving a blazing path in his wake. He made it down another aise, then a third.

“ _ No! _ ” Thelxinόe’s concentration immediately broke at the sight of her precious books being engulfed by the blaze. “You little  _ miscreant! _ ” The hieroglyph dissolved as she frantically reworked the magic to quell the flames. Instead of an odd pattern of squares, the new set of lines now zigzagged up and down. At the command of “ _ Was! _ ” a shower of water streamed from the symbol, hissing and sizzling at it touched the fire.

The demigod’s head turned to the center of the room as Zia screamed- more in frustration than pain, he realized- her bindings bursting into flames. The elementalist stood, heat rolling off of her in waves as she dove at the goddess again. Arche turned to face Zia’s charge with a growl of annoyance; abandoning her work on the three pronged staff.

Walt was nowhere to be seen, although from the sounds of battle coming from the back of the room- metal screeching on metal, blasts of magic, and… was that a camel Leo just saw fall from the air?- the magician seemed to be holding his own.

Decision made, Leo took two steps towards Zia before the air was driven from his lungs; a small body tackling him from the side. His head smacked the side of a shelf as he went down, stars bursting across his vision. Cold, thin fingers proceeded to wrap around the demigod’s neck.

“You broke my guitar!” Aoide screamed, grip tightening around Leo’s throat.

Leo’s hands instinctively moved up to grip the goddesses arms, trying to pry them from his neck. But it was no use. He’d have better luck trying to move a steel beam. Still he tried, tugging and pulling fruitlessly as Aoide’s cold hands clamped down further. Leo gagged, desperately trying to pull air in through his collapsing throat as the goddess continued to babble hysterically. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t  _ breathe _ .

“You broke my guitar! You  _ broke _ it! Now I’m going to break you- see how  _ you _ like it!”

He had to think of something fast, before he ran out of oxygen to think with. Leo had dropped his hammer in the fall, the weapon only a few feet away. But those feet might as well be a mile for all the good it did him; his fingers stretched to their limit but the hammer remained out of reach by a good four inches. It was at that moment Leo realized the Muse’s mistake. A crucial mistake. She’d left his hands free. The demigod buried them into his toolbelt as darkness shrouded the edge of his vision. Panic mixed with the fear and finally,  _ finally _ his fingers ghosted over the device he’d been fiddling with earlier.

Leo gripped his salvation, pulling out the crudely constructed circuit and slapping the device to Aoide’s back. The demigod drew in a ragged gasp as the goddess released some of the pressure to his neck, confusion briefly crossing her face. Then Leo flipped the switch, allowing 50,000 volts to flow freely through the closed circuit otherwise known as Aoide.

The Muse’s back arced, mouth open in a soundless scream as the electricity coursed through her. Small tingles ran up Leo’s arms but he maintained the pressure, keeping the taser in contact with the goddess until she dropped limply to the ground; twitching as small shocks continued to course through her body. 

Only then did Leo let himself slump back, coughing roughly as his lungs tried to inhale as deep and fast as physically possible. He tipped his head back against the bookshelf, eyes screwing shut as he forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. The back of his head throbbed where it’d hit the shelf (he wouldn’t be surprised if he had a concussion) and Leo’s heart was pounding in his ears, drowning out all other noise. That had been close. Way too close for his liking.

The spike of adrenaline faded, exhaustion taking its place. He must have drifted off into unconsciousness for a good moment, because when next he opened his eyes, Leo realized the abnormal silence wasn’t just in his head anymore: The sounds of battle had died away. It took more effort than usual to raise his head, and the sight Leo was greeted with wasn’t one of victory.

Aoide was still unconscious next to him, and Thelxinόe hadn’t stopped fretting over her books. But the other two Muses barely had a scratch on them. Meléte had returned; dragging Walt behind her like a rag doll as she strolled towards the center of the room. The unresponsive magician had thin cuts on his exposed arms, most of which were still bleeding freely. Leo cast his gaze around, eyes eventually lighting upon Zia. The elementalist was faring a little better (well, she was conscious, at least) and seemed to have enough energy to glower at the goddesses. For the first time, Leo really wished that looks could kill. Glaring was the best she could do, however, as Zia appeared to be immobilized- probably by some kind of spell. Frozen mid charge so that it looked as though she was posing for an athletics magazine. Her ivory staff lay in pieces at her feet, the white rod splintered down the shaft.

“-start with this one.” Meléte was saying, dropping Walt next to the three pronged staff. “The mortal has almost no essence left, but he  _ is _ hosting a god.”

“Yes.” Arche hummed. “As good a start as any.”

Like Hades he was going to let that happen. Leo staggered to his feet, fighting back a wave of nausea.  _ Definitely a concussion _ , the hispanic grimaced, one hand pressing to the growing lump on his head.

Meléte noticed the movement, hazel gaze shifting towards the demigod. “You’re still alive?”

But instead of sounding peeved, the goddess seemed… excited.

“Lucky me!” Meléte clapped her hands together, grinning wider than the Cheshire Cat. “And here I thought Aoide had finished you off- she  _ never _ shares. Looks like I get to have my fun after all!” 

“Make it a slow death.” Thelxinόe hissed. “Make the  _ Roman _ suffer.”

“Look, I all for some good, old-fashioned suffering.” Leo said, spreading his hands. “But I’m  _ not _ Roman.”

Thelxinόe jabbed an accusing finger at him. “You’ve conspired with them in the past.”

“That’s like saying a taco and a burrito are the same.” The hispanic retorted.

“You  _ burned _ my  _ books _ !” Thelxinόe screeched. “Just like the  _ Romans _ did!”

“They burned the library down when they conquered Egypt.” Leo recalled in a rush of clarity. He couldn’t remember where he’d heard it. Probably from Annabeth, or one of her half-siblings. Maybe from Chiron during one of his  _ Myths and Monsters _ lectures: though, the hispanic had a bad tendency to sleep through those.

It gave Leo an idea. 

“Yeah, well, you know what the problem with history is?” The Son of Hephaestus asked rhetorically, flexing his wrists and summoning his energy. “It tends to repeat itself.”

The goddess’ eyes widened in understand as flames exploded out from the demigods hands. Arche threw up a shield but Leo continued his discharge, attention tunneling as he poured every last bit of energy he had into the flames. His fingers prickled as he urged the fire to grow white hot, sweat beading across his brow. From his periphery, the demigod registered Zia dragging the unconscious Walt towards the exit, having somehow broken free of the immobilizing magic.

Once they were clear of the danger zone, Zia turned back to the fight, shouting, “ _ Suh-FAH! _ ”

Leo looked over as a new hieroglyph, a good fifteen feet tall, blazed on the wall behind the Muses. Mortar disintegrated. The side of the building groaned, the entire wall crumbling in a brick tidal wave. The goddesses vanished under the rubble, a cloud of dust blossoming up from the ground. Leo stumbled to Zia’s side, the elementalist was staring at the gaping hole she’d made in the building.

“Well… that worked.” She muttered.

“Absolutely genius.” Leo agreed, giving the Egyptian a once over. She looked tired, but otherwise okay. “What spell was that?”

“ _ Loosen _ .” Zia said, “I figured… it’s easier to break things than fix them.”

As if in agreement, the remaining shell of the building creaked and rumbled.

“Come on,” Leo tilted his head towards Walt. “We should get out of here before-”

The foundation shook, from beneath the rubble came a chorus of very angry, very feminine screams. Shafts of red light shot through the gaps in the debris.

“Oh, please!” The demigod protested, even as he hauled one of Walt’s beefy arms over his shoulder. “Don’t tell me they’re still  _ alive _ ?” And here he’d been hoping that the Egyptian gods weren’t as immortal as the Greek ones.

A sleek hand crashed out of the rubble, horror movie style, the goddesses slowly clawing their way back to the surface. Meléte was the first to emerge, covered in dirt and dust so that she looked like a ghost. Her eyes lighted upon them and fury snaked across her face.

“Kill you!” She bellowed, just as Zia yelled an encore: “ _ Suh-FAH! _ ”

Demigod and elementalist beat a hasty retreat, and Meléte screamed, “NO!” as another three story section of wall crumbled on top of her. The other walls shuddered, leaning precariously inwards. Leo choked on a cloud of dust. His eyes stung. It felt like he’d been parboiled in a rice cooker but he somehow managed to stumble outside, supporting all of Walt’s weight with Zia following close behind.

They cleared the building before the rest of it collapsed, shuffling down the beach a good twenty five yards before dropping to the sand, exhausted. The trio was covered in lime powder, like a coating of sugar had been rolled onto their skin. Zia panted heavily, the exertion from casting those spells having taken their toll.

Leo turned his attention to Walt; the dude wasn’t looking so great. Most of the cuts had clotted over by now, but up close, Leo could see a peppering of blue and purple bruises littering his face. There was also a sizeable lump at the back of his skull. A number of his necklaces were broken- some cracked, some crushed. Leo wasn’t really sure what that meant, but he felt it couldn’t be anything good.

“Here. Let me.” Leo shifted as Zia crouched next to her fellow Egyptian, holding a ceramic vial in one hand. Taking great care, the elementalist supported Walt’s head, tipping the contents of the container into his mouth. Leo saw Walt’s throat move up and down, instinctively swallowing the potion. The magicians bruises faded, cuts sealing and fading until all that was left were thin, pink scars.

The elementalist then took a short swig of what remained before offering the rest to Leo.

“Nu-uh. No thanks.” The hispanic shook his head sharply. “I know what that stuff does to demigod stomachs. ‘Sides,” Leo reached into his toolbelt, pulling out a ziploc bag with three pieces of squashed ambrosia. “I’ve got my own magical healing food.”

The elementalist shrugged, downing the rest of the potion as Leo popped a piece of godly food into his mouth. Instantly, the pain in his head all but vanished, and the finger bruises around his neck faded. Even his stomach was satisfied at the homemade, taco-flavored taste. Gods he loved ambrosia. From the sand, Walt groaned, eyes flickering open as he started to come around.

“What-” He rasped. “What happened?”

Leo glanced back at the lighthouse ruins, the dust cloud still lingering in the cool night air. “Well, Zia found a very effective way to demolish a building.”

The magician looked past the demigod at the pile of bricks. “Oh... I see.”

After a few minutes of silence, Leo had to ask, “What was that thing they were making? That tri-staff doohickey?”

“The Staff of Serapis.” Walt informed, grimacing as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

Zia cursed.

“Hang on…” The demigod snapped his fingers. “Carter’s cookie uncle said something about a staff!” Twin looks of incomprehension crossed the Egyptian’s faces. “The Famous Amos guy? Nevermind. What’s so special about it? Don’t all magicians have staves?”

“The Staff of Serapis is a three pronged scepter,” Walt explained. “Each leg of which controls a fragment of time: Past, Present, and Future.”

“So, what, it’s like a time machine?”

“Not exactly. It-” The magician froze, mid-sentence, eyes blowing wide.

Seconds later, Leo and Zia felt it too, that same warm wave of power from before washing over the beach. Looking back at the rubble, Leo gaped. The ruins had become a swirling maelstrom of bricks, pipes, boards, books, and other debris, along with glowing hieroglyphs and red neon tufts of energy. As they watched, a scattering of boards and nails came together to form a frame, a cluster of stone assembling like Legos to make an arch.

The library was rebuilding itself.

“-can do that.” Walt finished grimly. “We have to go back.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Leo waved his hands at the magician. “We just barely got out of there with our lives and you want to go  _ back _ ?”

Walt nodded. “If we don’t, then all of our work will have been for nothing. The staff is the key. If we can get that-”

“-They can’t control the outcome.” Zia finished, drumming her fingers on the bag.

“Wait- Back up.” The demigod was beyond confused. “I don’t think I get how this whole thing works. If the Muses have the staff, why didn’t they use it earlier? And what’s to stop them from using it on us?”

It seemed that Carter wasn’t the only magician who could go into full-on teacher mode. Walt cleared his throat, launching into a miniature lecture to answer Leo’s questions.

“Before, they were still in the process of imbuing the staff with magic, that’s why they didn’t use it against us. It wasn’t fully operational. With its activation, the time-warping capabilities will pull at all aspects of the gods; their past, present, and future selves. The lighthouse is acting as a beacon, an amplifier so that the signal reaches the far corners of the world. And while it’s power is directed at the gods, it can’t be used to combat us. Think of it as if the gods are on a different frequency, a different wavelength of power.” Walt paused, seeing the demigod’s utterly baffled expression. “This is advanced magic theory. Complex stuff. It’s alright if you don’t quite understand.”

Leo wouldn’t argue with that. Magic was too confusing. Give him an animatronic or an Archimedes Sphere any day.

“The fact of the matter is that, in order to stop the Muses’ we have to get that staff.” Walt concluded.

Leo’s fingers tapped on the edge of his toolbelt. “Their power is both Greek  _ and _ Egyptian, right?” The demigod smirked. “I have a plan. And it might even work.”

The demigod talked for an uninterrupted five minutes, laying out his idea. At the conclusion, Walt shook his head. “What you are suggesting is  _ impossible _ .” The magician frowned. “Or, at the very least, highly improbable.”

“Hey, you know me- well,” Leo paused, pursing his lips. “Okay, actually, you don’t know me that well yet- but I'm all about doing the impossible. And, frankly, I’ve heard worse plans.”

“I’ve heard better.” Zia said.

“It’ll work.” The demigod wasn’t confident about a lot of things. But this? His gut instinct told him it was the right call. “I know it will. The real question is, do you guys trust me?”

The Egyptians shared a long look. 

Finally, Walt turned back to the hispanic. “Yes. There’s… only one problem. Now that they’ve activated the magic of the staff, Anubis… Even now it’s taking everything we have to resist its pull. I’m sorry.” The magician’s gaze slid to the ground, his voice turning bitter. “But that’s a risk he- we, cannot take.”

And, oh, didn’t Leo understand that tone. That underlying hint of self-loathing at the idea of holding others back. Of being useless and burdensome. To come so far and wind up watching from a distance. Not that Leo could blame the guy for sitting this one out. From what Walt had told them, his connection or bond or whatever with the god was the only thing keeping the magician alive.

“No worries, man.” Leo clapped Walt on the back. “Zia and I got this, right Z?” Zia ignored him as usual (which no doubt meant she thought he was as cool as ever). Looking back at Walt, Leo asked. “Can you fly that magical boat?”

“Yes. Why?”

The demigod shrugged. “Once we grab the staff I have a feeling we’ll be needing a getaway driver. If it’s anything like a basic circuit, the magic should deactivate when it's key component is removed. Then you and Anubis would be good to go near the lighthouse, right?”

After a moment, Walt nodded slowly. “Yes… that, that would work.”

“Great!” Leo rubbed his hands together, smiling at the two Egyptians. “Then let’s get sharing.”

* * *

Leo was captured the instant he stepped back in the library. Not that he wasn’t expecting it, but the crimson bindings were squeezing unnecessarily tight, in his opinion.

He’d strolled in through the front entrance, much the same as he’d done before. The second the goddesses saw him, he’d been frozen with the same magic used on Zia. Then had come the red ribbons, twisting around his body and pinning his arms to his side.

_ All part of the plan _ . He reminded himself as he was effectively disabled.  _ This is all part of the plan. _

“Dibs on killing the mortal!” Meléte called. She was behind him immediately, the cold steel of her blade pressing to the flesh of the demigod’s neck.

“Wait!” Arche raised a hand, frowning. “Where are the other two? The flame elementalist and the godling?” She cast her gaze around the room.

Leo cleared his throat, drawing the attention back to himself. “Gone. They fled like cowards.”

“And you didn’t?” Thelxinόe wondered.

The demigod shrugged as much as he could in the bindings. “ I thought we could make a deal. I’ll-”

“You thought wrong.” Aoide hissed. “We don’t make deals with  _ Romans _ .”

“Good thing I’m Greek then!” Leo plastered on a smile even while alarm bells were going off in his head.  _ Keep stalling them _ , his mind prompted,  _ buy Zia more time _ . “As I was saying, I’ll tell you where the elementalist and the godling went. And in return, you let me become your Some Priest.”

“ _ Sem _ Priest?”

“That’s the one!” Leo winked at Thelxinόe. “You don’t have one yet, right? So allow me the honor, and I’ll tell you where they went.”

Three heads swiveled in unison towards Arche, the younger Muses’ deferring to their oldest sister. The tall brunette’s fingers tapped on the length of the staff as she considered the offer. Leo held his breath. The pregnant silence drawn out for a good minute before the goddess spoke.

“No.”

Leo’s breath escaped in a rush. Not good. Zia wasn’t in position yet.

But Arche was still talking. “If what you say is true, and the godling fled, it is of no matter where he flees to. Once the lighthouse is fully activated, he will be drawn to its power as all the other gods will be. As for the elementalist,” The goddess waved a dismissive hand. “She was a nuisance, but of little import. Have your fun, Meléte. Just try not to make too much of a mess.”

The knife flashed back up to his neck.

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this.” The Muse cackled, delicately tracing the blade across Leo’s adams apple. “Your death will be slow and painful. Any last words, mortal?” Meléte sneered. “Aside from screaming, that is.”

“For you? Yes!” Leo somehow managed to sound confident even when trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

“ _ T _ _ aerif nafsak bila mawt _ ,” Leo chanted, praying that he wasn’t butchering the words Walt had taught him, _ “waqawiat mithl... aldawda _ _! _ ” The delicate Egyptian pronunciation gave the Muse pause but the demigod plowed on.

“Anubis hear me! Hephaestus to my aid!” He spoke a few more phrases; some Greek, some Egyptian, a few Latin words he’d picked up up from Jason. He even tossed in a bit of Spanish for good measure. “ _ Cuneum formate! Di Immortales!  _ _ Katastrépste ton pýrgo sas! Consumir su vida! _ Alpha, Beta, Gamma!” Leo cried. “ _ Gryos, spanakopita, tres, cuatro! _ ”

The Hispanic beamed in triumph. “There. You’re done for!”

The Muses stared at him, clearly baffled. Meléte’s knife lowered a fraction. Aoide glanced down, subconsciously patting herself as if to make sure she was still there. The red symbols on the wall dimmed ever so slightly. A few even turned into question marks and sad faces.

“Done for?” Meléte parroted. “What on earth are you talking about, mortal? I’m about to destroy you.”

Leo barked out a laugh. “And if you do, you will activate the death link that sends you into oblivion!”

“Death link?” Thelxinόe frowned, “No such magic exists.”

“Yes it does. It’s the most advanced spell in the world- only three people in all of history were ever privy to the information needed to cast it.” Leo puffed out his chest as much as he could within the restraints. “And I’m one of them.” He poured as much conviction as he could into the words, praying that the Muses’ wouldn’t call his ruse.

Meléte cocked an eyebrow, glancing at Thelxinόe, “Is that true?”

“No. It isn’t...” But the goddess didn’t sound so sure anymore. “He lies!”

“Try me.” Leo countered with considerable heat. “I’ve bound you with a Greek-Egyptian-Latin hybrid spell so powerful, it will scatter your atoms to the stars.”

Arche spoke up, having remained silent for most of the exchange. “I feel no such magic binding me. The mortal is bluffing. Kill him.”

“It’s undetectable magic.” The demigod sputtered, desperately trying to maintain face. Nevertheless, Leo’s heart rate ratcheted up a few notched as Meléte’s weapon reclaimed it’s position at his neck. “Can’t say I didn’t warn you! I hope you enjoy oblivion.”

“Your threats do not frighten me, mortal.” Arche said.

“Then maybe that will.”

As one, the Muses looked up, following Leo’s gaze. A ring of green vials perched precariously on the upper balcony, the jade contents churning angrily in the glass confines. Standing at the west corner was none other than Zia, her hands extended, fingers spread wide. At Leo’s cue, she clenched them into fists.

The containers shattered.

And all Hades broke loose.

Emerald flames licked at the air, cascading down the stone walls as if they were dry tinder. Zia angled her arms down and out, directing the fire to race across the floor towards the goddesses. The only Muse who didn’t look at all worried was Arche, the goddess raising her palm to the flames and casting the zig-zag hieroglyph spell. Fire and water collided, the former sizzling and hissing at its counter element. But the jade inferno blazed onwards, unhindered by the magic.

Arche’s brows furrowed, the Muse taking a hesitant step back. “How?”

“Like you said.” Zia snarled, “Perfectly balanced magic is remarkably durable.” And with a yell, the Egyptian magician sent the Greek Fire crashing over the goddesses.

But even caught flat footed, the Muses’ were fast. Arche made a lunge for the Staff of Serapis, snatching the rod away and shouting, “ _ Aspída _ !” Shield.

The other Muses quickly followed suit, forming their own barriers against the all-consuming flames. The restraints binding Leo loosened as the goddesses concentration shifted from him to the new threat. The demigod wriggled out of the ropes, watching as the magical shields wavered under Zia’s constant barrage.

Arche’s barrier was holding up the best, and Zia seemed to notice, focusing the brunt of the flames at the tall goddess. Gritting her teeth, Arche placed both hands on the staff, spreading them wide to brace herself. Her shield rippled with fresh red energy.

They needed to get that staff away from her, pronto. But if her grip was even half as strong as her sister’s… the demigod rubbed his healed neck, recalling how much strength the youngest Muse had possessed.

They’d have to find another way to get the rod away from the goddess. 

What Leo did next was so impulsive and dangerous he should've been named ADHD poster child of the year. He pulled a large spanner wrench from his tool belt, darting forwards. Arche’s gaze shifted to the demigod as he pulled level with her. But it was too late. Holding the wrench like a baseball bat, Leo swung with everything he had, bisecting the space between Arche’s hands.

_ CRACK! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh man... did I say a ‘sort of’ cliffhanger??? That must’ve been one of those spelling mistakes I mentioned...
> 
> I always enjoy your feedback so feel free to drop me a comment :)
> 
> Until Saturday! (Fair warning, I probably won’t be able to post until later in the afternoon on Saturday)  
> <3


	22. Do You Know The Music Man?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Annabeth and Frank go off on an adventure, and Egyptian Gods show that they also have familial issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> It’s totally still Saturday... right?
> 
> I won’t stall anymore- please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Annabeth POV)**

“For the record, I’m still against this.” Annabeth stated.

Carter glanced up from the map. “If you have a better idea, now is the time to say so.”

She didn’t.

“Right, then.” The magician clapped his hands together at her silence. “Let’s find ourselves a god.” With those words Carter proceeded to press his palms to the edge of the crinkled paper. The magician took a deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes in concentration and beginning the incantation. “ _ Adeu alriyah alarbet limusaeadati _ .”

A hieroglyph flared over the table, dimming as a soft golden glow radiated from the map. After a moment, the light began to close in from the edges, slowly shrinking in diameter. Having seen Carter’s magic before, Annabeth glancing over at the Roman demigods to gauge their reactions. Frank and Hazel were watching the proceedings with wide eyes, enraptured by the process while Reyna had adopted her stoic poker face; slightly raised eyebrows the only indication of the Preator’s intrigue. The Daughter of Athena turned back to the proceedings as Carter continued the spell.

“ _ Atawasal 'iilayk 'an tqdim ma hu sahih min al'akadhib- _ ” The litany cut off with a pained hiss and Carter grimaced. New creases formed on the map as the magician braced himself against the table.

Hazel frowned. “You okay?” 

“Carter?” Annabeth cautioned, stepping towards the kid.

“It’s fine.” He bit out. “I almost got it.”

Annabeth worried her lip. Carter was clearly  _ not _ fine, it was quite obvious he was reaching his limit. The magician was still shockingly pale, no doubt an aftereffect of whatever had happened with the London portal, and now sweat was beading on his brow. Even the tan, hospital-like robe made him look too thin and sickly, as if he hadn’t scarfed down three and a half servings of shrimp gumbo earlier. Taking a shaky breath, Carter plowed through the rest of the incantation.

“ _ Taeal alan, wadaewat ealayha aism wahid atlb.  _ God of Music: Ihy!” 

Golden light flared from the map, converging on a single pinpoint for a solid three seconds before the illuminated area dimmed. Carter ended the spell with a gasp, rocking back from the table. Frank was already moving forwards to mark the location while Annabeth shifted next to Carter. The Greek demigod placed a steadying hand on the magicians shoulder, feeling minute tremors rippling through his shirt.

“Got it.” Carter declared, grinning tiredly up at them, a hint of pride coloring his words. “He’s there: 853 Valencia St.”

Frank penned in the address as Reyna leaned over the map, eyes trained on the mark. “Northern San Francisco.”

“That’s not too far from here.” Annabeth murmured, looking thoughtfully at the map before lifting her gaze to meet Carter’s. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I wouldn’t say no to a hot shower.” The kid quipped after a pause, a cheeky grin tugging at his lips.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “That’s not what I asked.”

Carter huffed. “Like I said, I’m fi-”

“If you say ‘fine’,” Hazel interrupted, crossing her arms. “I swear to the gods I will drag you right back to the healers tent.”

The magician glanced away guiltily. “Okay, yeah, I’m a bit tired. But it’s fi- nothing I can’t handle.” He insisted, amending the latter sentence under Hazel’s scrutiny. “Besides, we don’t have time to sit around and wait.  There’s only three and a half days left until the end of Ra’s solar cycle.  We need to confront Ihy now, and-”

“No.” Annabeth shook her head. “You need to sit this one out.”

Carter blinked at her. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

The Daughter of Athena quirked an eyebrow in his direction. “I’m not sure how you can confuse the word given its context.”

The magician gnashed his teeth in frustration. “Fine.  _ Why _ can I not go? This is an  _ Egyptian _ God we’re talking about here. If the plan is to convince him to give up Hathors secret name, why would you not send the person most well versed in Egyptian lore to do the negotiating?”

“Ihy is the Egyptian God of Music, but more specifically, he’s the god of the sistrum: which is, basically, a large, metal rattle.” Annabeth spoke to the room at large, sifting through the database of information she’d looked up back on the Argo III. “He’s the son of Horus and Hathor, and his name literally translates to ‘calf’. Primarily worshiped in Dendera, Ihy’s influence was widespread until the fall of Egypt in...” She frowned for a moment, struggling to recall the exact date. “30, maybe 35 BC? Or is that wrong?”

Annabeth directed the last question at the magician, Carter gaping at her with something akin to awe. “That’s… yeah, that’s correct. You learned all of that in only one afternoon?”

Frank snorted. “If she had a whole afternoon to research this guy, I’d be surprised if that’s  _ all _ she found out about him.”

Of course that wasn’t ‘ _ all _ ’ of the information Annabeth had uncovered. While they’d been waiting, the Daughter of Athena had also taken up the task of learning the Egyptian alphabet, starting with the rosetta stone translations. From there she’d pulled up a host of various websites, finding over a thousand hieroglyphic illustrations, four-hundred-and-fifty single word examples, and the entire Gardiner’s sign list (which alone consisted of 650 of the most common Egyptian symbols). Granted, she hadn’t had adequate time to memorize every one- she was an  _ architect _ , not a linguist- but Annabeth was fairly confident in her basic understanding of the picture-words.

“I know enough to get by.” The demigod said confidently, refocusing on their current situation. “Which means you can take it easy for a few hours, replenishing your magic energy- or however that works.”

Carter didn’t like it; Annabeth could tell from the way he bit his lip. The magician’s expression molded into one of deep contemplation, probably weighing out the pros and cons of staying behind. Lucky for her, Annabeth had gotten stuck with the more rational of the two Kane siblings, Carter sighing as he conceded her point.

“Alright, I’ll sit this one out. But be careful,” He warned. “Egyptian gods can be… unpredictable, at best. Downright diabolical at worst.”

“So they’re like all gods.” Annabeth smirked. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Still, you shouldn’t go alone.” Reyna advised, speaking for the first time since Carter had retold their adventures. “Should things turn sour you will need someone to watch your back. Frank will accompany you.” The other Preator seemed surprised by the recommendation, but it was quickly replaced with eagerness.

Hazel stepped forwards as well. “I’ll come too.”

“Actually, Hazel,” Reyna said, looking at the younger girl. “I need you here. There’s a... situation that would benefit from your oversight.”

Carter’s eyebrow lifted in curiosity while Hazel groaned. “It’s not more healers work, is it?”

A grin threatened to emerge on the Preators face. “No. It’s not more healers work. In fact,” She glanced at the magician, “our new guest may be able to provide some insight into our current predicament. If he is so inclined to assist, that is.”

“If that’s your way of asking for my help, then sure.” Carter replied. “It’s the least I can do to repay you for your hospitality.”

“And for saving your life?” Annabeth prompted.

Carter nodded. “That too.”

“And to make up for being such a jerk earlier?”

At that, the magician had looked pointedly at the Daughter of Athena. “Don’t you have a god to go talk to?” He retorted without any heat, slipping the strap of his satchel over his shoulder and turning towards the exit.

Frank grinned at Annabeth as Reyna and Hazel followed the magician outside. “So- stopping the fated end of the world, confronting all-powerful beings. Feels just like old times. Only… without the other five prophesied demigods, and without a giant, weaponized flying boat to transport us.”

Smiling back, Annabeth nodded. “Exactly like old times. Do you need to grab anything before we leave?”

“I’m all set. Got everything I need right here.” The Roman demigod said, patting the hilt of his gladeus. “You?”

Annabeth mirrored the action, about to say she was ready to go. But as her palm rested on the hard leather hilt, she glanced down, realizing her mistake. This wasn’t her dagger. The leather wrapped around the hilt of  _ her _ dagger was worn from years of use, not fresh and unmarred like this one. Annabeth’s thoughts flashed back to the battle with the Pterotoi. Of Percy, yanking her weapon from where it had been wedged in the monster’s eye. Of herself, falling to the deck after a jarring impact, hand closing around…

“Let me just confirm something with Carter first.” Annabeth told Frank, before hurrying after the trio. The three in question had barely made it to the bottom steps of the Principia. The Daughter of Athena bounding down the marble staircase to catch up with them.

“Wait up!” She called, drawing level with Carter as he stopped. “Here, this is yours. Your wand, or whatever: I accidentally grabbed it back when we were fighting the Pterotoi and... it turned into this.” The demigod explained, offering him the wand-turned-dagger.

Carter made no move to take the item, instead squinting at the dagger with curiosity. After a second he waved his hand dismissively. “Keep it, you’ll probably need it more anyway.”

“Oh. Okay.” Casting a dubious glance down at the dagger replica, she asked, “It’s not going to explode on me, is it?”

Her comment made the magician laugh.

“Wands are just magical conduits.” Carter explained. “Right now, this one seems to be locked in that form. Probably because it’s infused with your magic signature.”

“...My what?”

“Your… hang on-” Carter looked through his satchel, brows pinching when he couldn’t find what he was looking for. “Agh, it must’ve broken in the crash. Anyway, your magic signature is like… your own personal brand. Do you, um,” The kid cleared his throat, eyes shifting to the side. “Do you remember that dream we had? With my d… with Ammit the Devourer?”

“The hippodoodle?” She thought back to the strange dream, recalling how her body had been nearly transparent, glowing from the inside as Greek words and phrases had swirled around her form. “Are you saying that the purple stuff… that was my magic signature?” At Carter’s nod, she pursed her lips. “Does that happen often? Putting a magic signature on items?”

The magician shrugged, “It’s usually temporary: only really noticeable when the item in question is being used. And- apparently- in that shared dream of ours.” Carter hesitated for a moment, “I’ve got a working theory on that, actually… But I can tell you about it when you get back.”

Annabeth nodded. “Right. Try not to burn down the camp while I’m gone, okay?”

The magician snorted, a rueful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “No promises.”

* * *

They took a chariot across the Oakland Bay Bridge, the horse drawn Roman vehicle easily maintaining pace with the other cars commuting to the city. At first, Annabeth had been a tad apprehensive about riding the ancient cart; but a quick inspection showed that the overall structural supports were sound, the axels broader than normal to account for the modified wheels. And while the chestnut mare providing the horsepower (Annabeth smiled internally at the pun) wasn’t nearly as fast as Hazel’s steed, Arion, they were making good time.

Frank twitched the reigns, maneuvering around a particularly slow moving blue minivan. Annabeth found herself studying her old ally, noticing the changes he’d gone through since the end of the war. His hair was longer, for one. It wasn’t long, per say, but it wasn’t as close cropped as it used to be. His shoulders were broader too, corded muscle running the length of his arms.

But the biggest difference was how he held himself. Frank had stood tall and confident ever since she woke up in the healers tent. Even when he was baffled by Carter’s bizarre tale, the Son of Mars maintained a calm tenacity that hadn’t been there the last time they’d seen each other. Annabeth suspected his new position as Preator had something to do with the change.

Frank must’ve noticed her staring, because the Roman demigod cleared his throat. “Just so you know, we’re not stopping at the bridge so you can admire the architecture.”

Annabeth chuckled, “That’s not what I was thinking. Besides, I’ve seen this bridge a thousand times.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I used to live here.” The Daughter of Athena elaborated, answering his unspoken question. “Crossing this bridge two or three times a week is what got me so invested in structural design in the first place.”

Frank regarded the cantilevered, double towered spans with renewed interest. “It must be nice to visit your hometown again.”

“Not especially.” Annabeth admitted. “San Francisco is a hub of monster activity. With its central proximity to Mount Othrys, the Garden of Hesperides,  _ and _ Camp Jupiter, this place is practically swimming in Mist.” She elaborated. “Hands down the most dangerous city a demigod can be in.”

The Son of Mars hummed thoughtfully, steering the chariot towards their exit. "So that’s why we’ve always gotten a higher concentration of monster sightings in the city.”

After a few turns down various side roads, they reached Valencia Street. The buildings in this part of the city were wedged tightly together, making the long stretch of asphalt feel uncomfortably claustrophobic. The chariot meandered its way down the street, Frank frowning at the surrounding buildings as they passed.

“What’s up?” Annabeth inquired, glancing around to see if she’d missed something.

The Roman demigod shook his head. “It’s nothing, just… this street looks familiar.”

“Most of the streets here look similar.”

Frank nodded slowly, though Annabeth could tell he wasn’t convinced. It took them a few more minutes to locate the building, and when they did, Annabeth looked back down at the map, double checking to make sure she had read it right.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Frank said, voicing her own concerns.

Storm grey eyes drifted to the numbers in flaking gold paint over the doorway. “853. This is the place.”

Maroon paint was peeling away from the wooden doors, oxidized metal corners flaking in the low light. Crudely taped posters for various bands were vying for space; so much so, that the cheap brass handles were practically obscured by the papers. A broken tri-fold chalkboard was propped up against the brick wall, elaborate handwriting advertising ‘Live Music Every Night! Happy Hour don’t stop ‘til the Sun comes up!’.

“It’s kind of… dingy.” Frank commented as they made their way inside.

Dingy was putting it kindly. The entire inner structure of the gambrel building reminded Annabeth of a cramped barn. Complete with angled trusses and a lack of cross webbing chords. A polished countertop bar stretched along the left wall of the establishment, cracked wooden stools lining the side. A length of floating tabletops were mounted to the far right wall while the center was peppered with tall circular tables. Similar to its outer appearance, the worn wood surfaces and rusting metal accents were easy to distinguish under the fluorescent lights.

The demigods weren’t the only ones in the bar. Despite the early hour, there were a good half dozen customers scattered around the space conversing warmly. A pair of older gentlemen were performing on the rickety stage at the back of the bar; strumming an instrumental version of Ed Sheeran's ‘Dancing in the dark’. The calm was almost off-putting. Annabeth had met many gods, both on earth and in Olympus, and never had she come across one that would spend their time in a noisy, run down, hole-in-the-wall bar.

Frank glanced at her. “What now?”

“Now, we search for a god.” Annabeth answered, moving to sit at the counter.

She let her gaze rove around the room as she went, never lingering long on any one person. None of them looked or dressed like a god. No overly flamboyant outfit, no absurd hairdo, nothing that screamed ‘I’m not a mortal, I’m a thousand year old deity’. Annabeth glanced over at Frank who was doing the same, but it was clear that none of the other patrons were standing out to the Roman demigod. Part of her was beginning to regret not bringing Carter along.

“Do you even know what he looks like?” Frank asked, plopping down on one of the barstools. “I mean, how are we supposed to find him if we don’t even know what to look for?”

As much as the Daughter of Athena hated to admit it, he had a point. For all of her boasting about being versed in Egyptian lore, Annabeth had no idea where to start looking for this god. According to her research, Ihy was commonly depicted as a child- practically a baby. Somehow, she couldn’t imagine the God of Music pulling off that look here.

Before she had time to dwell on the thought, a melodic voice interrupted her thoughts, saying, “Well, you could always ask nicely.”

The two demigods looked up to find that the man who’d spoken was none other than the bartender. The man looked strikingly young, somewhere between his mid twenties and early thirties. His waxen umber hair curved away from his face, a few strands having managed to slip loose of the orderly style. Dark jade eyes roved over the glass he was currently wiping down, and an elongated goatee protruded from his chin at a striking angle.

“You’d be surprised how far a few ‘pleases’ can get you in life.” The bartender continued, placing the cleaned cup down and looking up at them.

There was something familiar about his appearance, something on the tip of Annabeth’s tongue. She let her gaze rove over his attire, eyes lingering on the bartender’s name tag. The plain plastic oval had the name ‘Rodger’ printed in stylized script: with the ‘R’ looking like the symbol on medical prescriptions and the ‘d’ having been drawn with three horizontal lines through the loop.

_ Not medicine _ , Annabeth realized with a start,  _ like that Eye of Horus necklace Carter wears!  _ And now that she knew to look for it, the ‘d’ was reminiscent of an upside-down sistrum, the three lines representing the metal rods that the instrument was comprised of.

“Are you… Ihy?” She asked, her hand automatically shifting to her dagger, drawing comfort from the weapon. The man’s strange facial hair was starting to make sense, the style reminiscent of the false beards worn by Egyptian Pharaohs.

The bartender put a finger to his lips conspiratorially, winking at her. “I’m incognito. Call me Rodger.”

“A god named Rodger?”

Ihy shrugged, grinning. “What can I say, the name’s grown on me. I welcome you to my humble abode, what can I do you for a couple of young demigods like yourselves?”

Annabeth blinked. Well this was another first. A friendly god, offering to help.

Frank frowned. “How did you know we were demigods?”

“Oh, I could smell the Greek and Roman on you the moment you entered my establishment. No offense meant, but, you reek of godling. Although…” Ihy peered at the dagger strapped to Annabeth’s waist. “You seem to be armed with a  _ magicians _ wand. Strange. But- then again- these are strange times. Anyhoo-” The god clasped his hands together, that openly friendly smile returning, “we’ve got ice tea, soda, water, coffee, might even still have some nectar in the back if you’re feeling particularly battered.”

“Nectar?” Annabeth asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s only a few decades old.” Ihy reassured. “Not as much of a demand for it like we used to have, but it does the trick.”

“But what- I mean, why…” The Daughter of Athena was at a loss for words; so many questions pining for her attention that she was having trouble focusing on just one (Why would an Egyptian god have Greek nectar? How would he even know about the godly drink? Well… he  _ was  _ a god, so did that mean all deities drank nectar? Then why would the magicians have an adverse reaction to the drink, unless it was because they weren’t  _ directly  _ related to the gods…).

Ihy seemed to guess where she was originally heading. “Why would an Egyptian god have a store of nectar? Well, let’s just say that when the godlings start drinking, fists start flying. Just ask your friend here, he got a nice shiner the last time he was in.” The god gestured to Frank.

Frank, for his part, looked completely baffled. “What? I-I’ve never been here before.”

“Sure you have.” Ihy leaned against the bar casually. “Your name’s Fred or something, right? Shapeshifter godling?” 

The Son of Mars could only stare, mouth agape.

“O-hoo,  _ man _ was that a fun night!” Ihy slapped his knee, a devious smile stretching across his face. “You scared the pants off of those Greeks! The  _ look _ on their faces- I mean, talk about priceless. I wish I’d had a camera...”

“But I- I don’t-” The Roman demigod stuttered, looking to Annabeth for help. “I swear I don’t remember  _ ever _ coming here.”

The god found Frank’s perplexion immensely amusing, laughing to himself as he said, “Course you don’t remember. Why do you think it’s called the  _ Amnesia _ Bar and Music Hall? If I let you guys remember half of the things that went down in this room, we’d have a multicultural world war on our hands. Egyptians fighting Romans, Romans fighting Greeks, Greeks fighting monsters, monsters fighting mortals.” Ihy shook his head. “It’d be a madhouse.”

Annabeth’s mind was reeling. “Let me get this straight.” She said. “Greeks, Romans, Egyptians… they  _ all _ come in here? At the same time?”

“Plus a fair amount of mortals. And I do host some minor monsters every once in a solstice.” Ihy admitted with a discarded wave. “I cater to them all.”

He swept a hand around the room and Annabeth made a second observational pass as well. Once again she was struck with how unimpressive everything was. She had a hard time focusing on one person, her eyes always wanting to glance away after a few seconds of staring. Annabeth frowned. No… that wasn’t normal. She was the daughter of the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, she shouldn’t be struggling to focus on her surroundings...

_ It’s the Mist _ . She realized with a flash of understanding.  _ The room is blanketed with it _ . Another realization struck her a moment later, chilling the demigod to the bone.  _ There could be monsters in here and we wouldn’t know _ .

Annabeth subconsciously gripped her new bronze dagger; it was too small and short to provide much offensive power should they be attacked. But that’s why Annabeth  _ liked _ daggers: they kept her focused. A child of Athena should never rely on a blade if she could use her wits instead. Intelligence won wars, not brute force.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Ihy said, having noticed her reaction. “You’re in no danger here.”

The demigod was far from reassured. But eventually Annabeth turned back to the god, asking, “I thought you were the god of music. Not the god of alcohol.”

The god’s expression soured. “Believe you me, I’ve tried to retain that title. Do you know what humanity's greatest creation has been?”

“The lightbulb?” Frank guessed.

“Music.” Ihy spoke the one word with such reverence, Annabeth was almost inclined to believe him (if not for the fact that the Archimedes Screw was  _ obviously _ humanity’s greatest creation). The god paused for a second before amending, “That and nacho cheese, even Ra couldn’t have dreamt up that deliciousness. But music,  _ is _ magic. The lyrics, the melody, the heart and soul behind each stroke of the keys or stum of the strings.”

The raw passion in the god’s words struck a chord with Annabeth, reminiscent of her own obsession when it came to architecture. Many of the minor gods she had met were bored with their shtick- disheartened with their daily mundane routines. Ihy seemed to genuinely enjoy his craft. Taking pride in running a small, out of the way bar and music hall.

The god soon snapped out of his stupor, picking up another spotted glass and absently scrubbing at its surface while he talked. “Back in my hayday, all of the greatest musicians would come to pray at my temple, asking for my blessing. And I gave it to them too,” He told them pointedly. “Never turned anyone down. But then Egypt fell, and the new gods rose up from the ashes. Suddenly, they were all praying to that prick, Apollo.” Ihy spat the Greek god’s name bitterly, knuckles going white around the rim of the beer glass. “Did he listen to their requests, though? No. He sat up there on his high flying chariot, absently playing his days away and ignoring the mortals requests-”

The god cut himself off with a strained breath, glaring at the wooden countertop as if it had offended him. With a shake of the head and a sigh, the tension faded as quickly as it’d arisen. “Ah, but the past is in the past. Forgive and forget, and whatnot. So-” Ihy turned back to the demigods, “what can I get for you?”

Frank took up the mantle. “We’re not here for a drink.”

“No?” The god glanced between the two. “Then how about some deviled eggs? Chicken wings with monster sauce? Even got some lotus-and-clam chowder on hand, a true house special.”

Annabeth swallowed hard, her stomach churning at the mere thought of those memory-numbing flowers. “We’re not here for the food either.”

“Come to hear the music, then.” The god beamed at them. “Wonderful! Though, I must admit, the good bands usually don’t arrive until sundown-”

“We’re here for a name.” Frank cut him off.

Ihy went still.

“A secret name.” The Daughter of Athena clarified, adding a “Please.” as an afterthought.

“And what, exactly, are you planning to do with this secret name?” The gods tone was carefully measured.

“Re-cage a rampaging, power-hungry goddess. You may have heard of her,” Annabeth said casually. “She is your mother, after all.”

Ihy pursed his lips, one hand fingering his beard. “So the rumors were true: Mommy dearest is back from Ra’s imprisonment. Rampaging and power hungry, you say?” The god snorted. “Looks like her time in solitary has done little for her temper.”

“You’re not… happy she’s free?” Frank asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

“Happy? I’m mortified!” Ihy cried, thunking the glass down on the counter. “The last time my mother decided to commit genocide it took every bottle of alcohol I had in stock just to stop her. Do you  _ realize _ how hard it is to get a god drunk? I almost went out of business! Not to mention that she’d killed a good portion of my clientele in the process.” He huffed, leaning back and crossing his arms. “No, if she’s been set loose then she needs to be stopped.”

Annabeth sent a quick thanks to the gods (the  _ Greek _ gods, mind) that Ihy was using logic.

“Still, I don’t see how learning Hathor’s secret name will stop her…” The gods voice trailed off, a wrinkle appearing between his groomed eyebrows. Jade eyes snapped up, regarding both demigods in turn. “Unless you have the Book of Thoth, which- currently- is in the possession of a rather eccentric ghost.”

Frank and Annabeth shared a look, the former asking, “How did you-”

“I own a  _ bar _ , Freddy boy. One populated by all sorts of interesting characters telling equally interesting stories.”

“We don’t have the book  _ yet _ .” Annabeth admitted. “But we have a plan to get it. And once we have it we’ll need Hathor’s secret name to seal her away.”

The god of music was silent for a long minute, Eventually he dipped his head. “Very well. I will give you my mother’s secret name.”

Frank regarded Ihy disbelievingly. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” Ihy parroted. “With just one, small condition.”

_ Because of  _ course _ it wouldn’t be that easy _ , Annabeth sighed.

“How do we know you won’t just give us a fake name?” Frank pressed.

Ihy expression changed to one of hurt. “I can understand how trust is an issue for you godlings. Hard to blame you, really. So, how about this: I happen to have it on good authority that a certain eccentric ghost is planning a ritual summoning at the Eternal Flame Falls the day after tomorrow.” The god lifted his eyebrows expectantly. “Eh? Pretty good right? Helpful information, free of charge, no strings attached.”

“He could still be lying.” The Son of Mars cautioned.

“So then let’s make sure he can’t.” The Daughter of Athena said, getting an idea. “Swear it on the river Styx.”

Ihy scratched his forehead, perplexed for a moment. “The river… Oh! Yes, but of course,” He laughed jovially, shaking his finger at Annabeth. “Very clever godling. Clever indeed to invoke a trans-magical binding vow.”

_ Trans-magical what now? _ The phrase was completely foreign to Annabeth; the Daughter of Athena rapidly running through her afternoon of Egyptian research only to come up blank.

At her silence, the god’s smile dimmed. “You  _ do _ realize what you are requesting, do you not?”

“… Yes.” When in doubt, bluff it out.

“Splendid!” Ihy clapped his hands together. “Then I swear on the River Styx to provide you with Hathors secret name, once you’ve accepted my terms.”

Frank tilted his head. “What _ are _ your terms? You never said.”

“Not so fast, godling. First you must swear on the Throne of Fire to uphold the terms, should you accept my offer.” Ihy said, addressing the request to Annabeth.

The Daughter of Athena hesitated for a moment, before realizing there was no reason to decline. Ihy hadn’t made her swear to accept his conditions (whatever they were). If she didn’t approve of the terms, she didn’t have to take the deal. He only wanted her to promise to be true to her word- which she already planned to be.

“I swear on the Throne of Fire to uphold your terms, should I accept them.”

A searing fire raced through her lungs. Annabeth doubled over with a strangled gasp, hands clawing at her chest as if she could somehow pull the inferno out. The heat grew more intense, concentrating over her heart. Above her she vaguely heard Frank shouting at the god, demanding to know what he’d done while Ihy insisted he hadn’t  _ done _ anything. Annabeth didn’t care  _ how _ it happened, she just wanted it to stop. The fire was in her lungs now, the demigod coughing harshly, attempting to dispel the intrusive feeling.

Then it was gone. One moment she had been struggling to draw breath, the next, the pain had receded to only a dull throb in the back of her mind.

“What was that?” She gasped.

“That was the sealing of the vow- the ‘signing of the contract’ if you will.” The god explained merily, placing a full glass of water in front of the demigod. “Magical backlash is directly proportional to the strength of the spell or invocation. Trans-magical bindings are as difficult to break as they are to create. I… thought you were aware of what you were requesting, were you not?”

Rather than admit her lack of knowledge, Annabeth picked up the water, draining it in one go. She thunked the empty cup back down onto the table, raising her eyes to meet Ihy’s with a firm stare. “What are your terms?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh... oh you thought we were gonna pick up where we left off last chapter??? Yeah, nope. ;)
> 
> And ooh? What did Annabeth just agree to? Yay mysteries!
> 
> Have a lovely rest of your weekend- and I’ll see you tomorrow- I mean, on Monday with the next update!  
> <3


	23. Things Get Weird (Well... Weird-er)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carter and Hazel help out the Third Cohort with their little problem, Carter makes a big discovery, and an old friend returns (just... not in the way anyone was expecting).
> 
> Or: (To quote Carter) "That thing's ALIVE???"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Monday! Yes, it is indeed, you know why? I passed the new Army PT test- woo! Now if you'll excuse me I'm just gonna curl up in a corner over here and cry as my legs proceed to BURN! OW!!! WHY DOES IT ALL HURT!!!
> 
> Muscles man... I do NOT have them. But hey- a pass is a pass, so I'll take it.
> 
> Cheers!  
> <3

**(Carter POV)**

I hadn’t been kidding about that shower.

Sure, they’d given me a clean set of clothes to change into before leaving the healer’s tent. But even after the small exertion of casting the locator spell, my skin had already accumulated a thin coating of sweat. I reached up to pluck at the purple t-shirt, the coarse fabric reminding me of the time Sadie had jinxed my clothes to feel like sandpaper. I was thankful that the jeans, at least, were comfortable because it looked like we had a long walk ahead of us.

Camp Jupiter was  _ huge _ . Tents and cabins spread across the valley, with pavilions and a mess hall dotting the courtyard. Further down a winding dirt road was a collection of buildings; large domed temples that stood tall under the midday sun. A twisting river curved along the perimeter of the camp, depositing into a sizable lake near the center of the valley.

Instead of heading towards the revenant looking buildings, Reyna led Hazel and I along the left path, towards another gathering of structures. Even from a distance I could make out a Roman-styled colosseum and various training grounds, a large aqueduct stretching off into the distant mountains. I took it all in as we went, not yet having had a tour of the grounds.

Then again, I hadn’t spent much time outside the healers tent. After explaining the situation to the Roman demigods, we were led to an impressive marble building where the contents of my satchel had been spread out on a table. And that’s when my work had begun.

_ I had rifled through nearly a third of the Book of the Dead before finding it. _

_ “Here it is,” I called, seeing four heads raise in my periphery, “The summoning spell.” I read through the page as they came to stand around my chair, a frown forming as I realized the flaw in my plan. _

_ “Great!” Frank said, his grin fading as I closed the book over my finger so that the page remained marked. “So, um… why aren’t you casting it?” _

_ “It doesn’t work like that.” I said with a huff leaning back in the chair. “The litany is only a small part of the magical process. You also need the proper cadence, hand gestures, materials,  _ and _ the required energy to perform the spell correctly.” I explained, my eyes dropping to the floor of the Principia. “And right now, I’m lacking in the energy department.” _

_ “Is that why the portal went haywire?” Annabeth asked, more inquisitive than accusatory. _

_ “That’s at least part of the reason.” I admitted, raising my gaze to meet hers. “But, truthfully, even  _ with _ Sadie’s help, sustaining a portal of that size is not something I’m in a hurry to repeat.” _

No hurry at all _. I could still feel the lingering effects of our endeavor, the steady throbbing behind my eyes a continual reminder of just how vulnerable I was right now. A shudder ran down my spine at the memory of waking up in the healer’s tent, reaching out for my magic, only to feel the shocking cold  _ void _ that had answered back. _

_ “Then what do we do now?” Hazel asked, snapping me out of my musings. “If we can’t summon this Ihy person.” _

_ “Ihy is a god, not a person.” I corrected, an idea beginning to take root. “And if we can’t force him to come to us… then we’ll just have to go to him. All I’d have to do is reword the summoning spell, turn it into a sort-of GPS,” I smirked. “A God Positioning Spell.” _

_ Annabeth was less amused, folding her arms and tilting her head. “I thought your sister said modifying spells is really difficult?” _

_ I shrugged, reopening the book and skimming through the words. “I never said it was going to be easy. But I shouldn’t have to change the base incantation- only the finer details of the spell. It’ll take me a few hours, but I think-” I paused and shook my head, refusing to acknowledge my own doubt. “I  _ know _ I can do it.” _

Those ‘few hours’ had become the majority of the afternoon.

Difficult didn’t even  _ begin _ to describe the process of reconfiguring the summoning spell. There were so many nuances, so many aspects that I hadn’t even considered as playing a role.  And I was only making a minor modification. I shuddered to think how difficult creating a spell from scratch would be.  Worse, I didn’t even have the Brooklyn House’s cache of knowledge at my disposal; the only things at my disposal being the Book of the Dead and my own memory.

Not that my memory was anything to scoff at- I’ll deny ever saying it, but Sadie’s taunts of me being a history nerd are a hundred percent accurate. The intricacies of magic had always intrigued me. It was part of the reason I poured over the books in the Brooklyn House library multiple times. The other part being that- as head of the Twenty-First Nome, the role of teacher fell on my shoulders.

My heart twinged with worry at the reminder of my friends back home. Annabeth has said that Percy, Leo, and Sadie had made it to the Brooklyn House safely, but despite her assurance, a small thrill of concern ran through me.

Walt knew about the situation, but I hadn’t had time to tell Zia about the demigods before we’d left. Hadn’t had time to tell any of the other initiates, for that matter. I wondered if Cleo had talked their ears off yet with questions. If Felix had convinced them to join his basketball team. If Zia had openly welcomed our new allies, or gone with the ‘attack first, made friends later’ approach.

One of the benefits of our small, close-knit community was that I really didn’t need to guess their reactions. Over the years, the members of the Twenty-Forst Nome had become an extension of my family; I knew each of them as well as I knew my own sister.

I was drawn from my inner musings as we drew closer to the gathering of structures, noticing banners hanging from a multitude of the buildings. The largest of all was strung up over the colosseum’s arched entrance, crudely painted words in black paint advertising the event.

“What’s a... Colosseum Championship?”

Hazel looked back at me as we made our way across the grounds, the Roman Demigod glancing at Reyna before answering, “It’s just a friendly competition between the Cohorts.”

“Oh.” I looked back over my shoulder at the banner, curiosity sparking. “Is it one big bracketed tournament? Or are there separate categories and events; like the Olympics?”

This time it was Reyna who answered, the older girl snorting in disdain. “The  _ Olympics _ is a crude athletic competition, posed as a cover to promote the outgrowth of  _ Greek _ values and beliefs. The Colosseum Championship has a much more diverse agglomeration that test a champion’s strength  _ and _ intelligence. To win in any of the events requires unmatched physical and mental prowess.” 

“So… it’s like the Roman Olympics?”

Reyna came to an abrupt halt, and from the black look she shot me, I figured I’d hit a nerve. In my peripherals, I saw Hazel stumble to a stop as well, glancing warily between us. But after a tense moment, the Roman demigod just huffed and shook her head. Without a word she turned, continuing to walk towards the edge of the camp at a brisk pace.

Hazel hung back with me, letting out a sigh. “You really like to push your luck, don’t you?”

I stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“I realize you probably specialize in Egyptian history, but have you honestly never heard about the Greek-Roman rivalry?”

Of course I had. Maybe not down to the specifics, but during my time travelling with Dad I’d picked up on the basics. We’d spent countless hours in museums, and while Dad was always engrossed with the Egyptian exhibits, I was more prone to exploring the various other cultures: So I knew that the Roman empire had tried to conquer the world at one point. And the Greeks had never truly forgiven the Romans for invading.

However… “I thought that was a long time ago?”

“It was.” Hazel admitted with a nod, starting after her fellow demigod. “But old habits die hard, y’know?”

Now  _ that _ was a sentiment I could understand. “Then what about Annabeth?” I asked, falling in step besides her. “She’s Greek and yet you, Frank, and Reyna seem to get along well with her.”

“That’s… a bit of a long story. See, there was this really ancient deity- like, older than the giants old- that had tried to-”

“Let me guess.” I interrupted. “Destroy the world?”

Hazel laughed, a warm, soft sound that pulled a smile to my own lips. “In a sense, yes. There was this big prophecy- _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, to storm or fire the world must fall_.” She quoted. “And in the last line it mentions ‘foes bearing arms’ against this great evil. Simply put- enemies would need to work together.”

“Sounds ominous.” I said, suddenly thankful that none of our conflicts had ever been predicted by a menacing poem. “Since the world is still spinning, I assume you did manage to work together?”

The demigod nodded. “Yes. Though, we didn’t start out as the best of friends.”

I let my gaze wander over the grounds. “That’s great, and all, but it still begs the question: why the hatred? Wouldn’t that be water under the bridge at this point?”

“You think one instance of working together can cure years of mistrust?” Hazel snorted. “Just because we assisted the Greeks doesn’t erase our rivalry with them. Conversely, just because our two camps have been feuding since their creation doesn’t mean we can’t band together to save the world.”

The demigods words lingered in my mind as we walked on, the simplistic philosophy beginning to clear up gaps in my understanding. At first, I had been confused- wary, even- of Percy and Annabeth’s offer to help us stop Hathor. After all, it wasn’t  _ their  _ problem. So their insistence on assisting had come off as… unusual, to say the least.

But that was the major difference, I was realizing, between our situations. Hazel story had made it clear that, despite their differences, the demigods were willing to put aside their bickering and work together for a common goal. Egyptians, on the other hand, were so caught up in their petty discord that words like ‘help’ and ‘assistance’ barely registered in their vocabulary. The Nomes had become so segregated that, even when the fate of the world was at stake, no one was willing to reach out and support the other.

As we approached the thick grove of trees on the other end of the training grounds, my pace slowed. There was something strange about the forest. My magic tingled at the familiar aura radiating from within the treeline. The magic signature I was sensing felt shockingly similar to my own… and yet, there was something off about it. A foreign alteration that urged me to follow the demigods into the woods.

“What’s in there?” I asked.

“Our problem.” Reyna answered cryptically, not even breaking stride as she talked. “I assigned the Third Cohort the task of rebuilding her, but they hit a snag when they began rewiring.”

I was about to ask  _ what _ they were rewiring, when a grating roar rumbled through the trees. My hand dropped to the hilt of my  _ khopesh _ and I warily scanned our surroundings. Reyna seemed unconcerned, continuing to move deeper into the woods. Hazel and I followed, a series of clicking and snapping noises emanating from the center of the grove.

Upon hearing the sounds, Hazel frowned. “That… sounds like...” Her head snapped over to stare at Reyna but the older demigod remained silent. The trail we were travelling down quickly widened until we were perched at the edge of a wide dell.

The clearing looked like a warzone. The grass was burned in multiple places, some stray tufts still smoldering with bright embers. Large puddles of black goo coagulated in indistinct clumps, and large pieces of metal were strewn around the edges of the area. That same, strange magic blanketed the entire clearing, the prickling sensation amplified now that we were at the heart of its origin.

Situated in the center of it all, was the Argo III.

A small group of Roman demigods were clustered around the masthead, ones from the Third Cohort, I assumed based on what Reyna had said earlier. As they approached, I heard one of the kids shout, “It’s back online!” Which must’ve been code for “Look out!” because the group scattered. Seconds later, a stream of fire scorched the ground where they’d been standing. There were various cries of “Turn it off!” among the chaos, but I felt rooted the the spot, staring into the glowing red polycarbonate eyes of the mechanical masthead.

“Festus is back!” Hazel breathed in amazement, eyes blown wide as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

To be fair, I was finding the situation a tad difficult to believe as well. “It’s- that- the masthead is  _ alive _ ?”

“Yes.” Reyna confirmed. “He has been causing the Third Cohort a fair amount of trouble since waking. I had hoped you might be able to calm the animatronic, seeing as you were one of the seven to travel on the Argo during the war.”

“M-me?” Hazel stammered, paling slightly at the request. “How am I supposed to calm him down?”

As they’d been talking, the dragon- Festus, apparently- had finished terrorizing the Third Cohort (the demigods having retreated to strategically positioned defenses) and turned to face the only lifeforms left in the clearing.

Hickory eyes met vermillion polycarbonate. Festus’ mouth opened, and I tensed, fearing that the masthead was about to unleash another flaming volley. I reached for my magic to form a shield, but there was nothing left to pull from. Casting the modified summoning charm had depleted my scant reserves.  _ Crap _ . I turned, about to tackle Hazel and Reyna out of the way when a series of creaks and whirrs emitted from it’s maw.

I froze.

For whatever reason, I understood it. The noises translating to Egyptian hieroglyphs in my mind (Don’t ask. I have absolutely  _ no _ idea how, it just did). I whirled back around, the metal dragon holding my gaze for five seconds before it spun to shoot another jet of flames at a demigod who was venturing too close to the ship. Another series of annoyed sounds creaked from the back of its throat.

“Whoa, whoa!” I waved my hands to get it’s attention. “Cool it with the fire, they’re friendly.”

The dragon's maw snapped shut and it tilted it’s head at me, a low series of clacks reverberating around the clearing.

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure they’re just trying to help. Right?” I directed the question at Hazel who was silently gaping at me.

Reyna was staring as well, eyebrows raised. “You can understand him?”

“Uh… yeah. Why?” I frowned, my gaze bouncing between the two demigods. “You mean... you can’t?”

“No.” Hazel shook her head in wonder. “The only other person who could communicate with Festus was Leo-” At the mention of his pilot, the dragon roared, the broken oars shuddering across the ground as it tried to move.

“Easy there, easy! He’s fine.” I told the animatronic. “Leo’s fine.”

More whirring, those glowing red eyes piercing my own.

“Yes- He’s safe.” I relayed, finding the fact that I was conversing with a mechanical dragon  _ overwhelmingly _ bizarre. It definitely breached my top ten ‘Strangest things to happen since becoming a magician’ list.

Festus squeaked.

“No, not here.” I replied. “Leo’s in Brooklyn, with Percy and my sister. They’re okay, though!” I hastened to add, as the oars lifted ominously again.

Steam hissed out through one of the dragons ears.

I nodded. “Sure, we’ll take you to him. But you gotta let these guys fix you up first.” The animatronic turned and regarded the Roman demigods for a long moment. Then Festus clacked one more time. “Uh… sure, I’ll ask them.” I looked at Hazel. “Do you have any tabasco sauce?”

“Tabasco… sauce?” Hazel parroted.

“Mixed with gasoline.”

The demigods exchanged a look. “We’ll... go see what we can find in the kitchens.” Reyna offered. “In the meantime, I’d appreciate if you would assist the Third Cohort with repairs.”

It was more of a statement than a question, but I nodded anyway. “Sure. I’ll do what I can.”

As it turned out, doing ‘ _ what I can _ ’ boiled down to being an animatronic translator.

Before leaving, Hazel and Reyna had introduced me to the leader of the Third Cohort. A burly young man by the name of Hugo Marcellus who sported thick eyebrows and nose that looked like it had been broken one too many times. The demigods clothes had been signed in multiple places, and grease and soot had stained most of the rest.

Despite this, Hugo had given me a wide smile, saying, “Can’t say no to another set of hands! Especially if you can keep that dragon under control.”

At first, the demigod was thrilled at my ability to communicate with Festus: through our strange method of conversing I was able to provide them with a list of damaged parts and a system diagnostic, remembering how Leo had done the same by placing his hand on the dragon’s head. However, Hugo’s enthusiasm had quickly soured upon realizing how little I knew about the actual mechanics of the ship. And eventually (after dropping the pressure gauge mounting hardware down a narrow vent shaft for the fifth time) the demigod had told me to take a break, saying he’d call me if something came up.

Shadows stretched across the clearing as I made my way down the gangplank. I didn’t realize how late it’d gotten. The amber hue of the sunset reflected off the hull of the Argo III, casting the surrounding trees with a bronze, otherworldly glow.

Hazel had returned, standing on a raised platform near the masthead and offering Festus a large bowl of the tabasco-gasoline soup the dragon had been so insistent on having. When she saw me she waved, offering up a smile. I reciprocated the greeting, making my way towards one of the tents they’d set up for shade.

I plopped down on the ground, plucking at the grass and feeling generally useless as I watched the demigods work. They scurried around the ship, working dents out of the metal and replacing broken railing pieces. There was an energy to their movements but there was something else as well, something lurking below the physical vigor of the repair process. I frowned. I could sense something familiar about it, and it took me a moment to realize what it was.

It was that strange magic. In the excitement, I’d almost forgotten about it, but it was still there, lingering in the back of my mind like a bad aftertaste. Since I couldn’t help with the Argo III, maybe I could at least figure out where it was coming from. Taking a slow breath, I checked my magical reserves; pleasantly surprised when I found that they had been sufficiently restored. Encouraged by this, I carefully lowered my gaze into the duat.

What I saw took my breath away.

The Argo III was awash in a vibrant orange. Unfamiliar Greek symbols burning a bright marigold along the gunnel as if they’d been branded into the metal. Leo’s magic signature almost completely enveloped the entire ship from bow to stern; with the exception of one area. Gilded hieroglyphs peppered the sea of Greek magic, slim veins of gold stretching from the center of the hull to the masthead. The entirety of the dragon animatronic radiated with a familiar magic:  _ my _ magic.

It looked wrong- my Egyptian signature encroaching on Leo’s- and yet it  _ felt _ right. Like the missing piece to a jigsaw puzzle, the two differing magics were merged in such a way that made it- for lack of a better term- work.

_ But why? _ The thought intruded on my observations.  _ Why does it fit so well? And what caused the magic to change in the first place? _

I knew the answer to the second question. It was the portal. There was no doubt in my mind that the haywire spell had somehow been the root of this. Before we entered, the Argo III’s magic had been dormant: Present, yes- I had felt the faint thrum of magic the moment we had come aboard- but not fully realized. Whereas  _ after _ flying through the portal, the ship’s energy had surged, the inert magic now brimming with new life.

But  _ why _ . The answer was there, I could feel it itching to come to the forefront, just out of reach. What was I  _ missing _ ? With a groan of frustration I dropped my head into my hands, mentally replaying the events that had led up until now. The dream conversation I’d had with my Dad came to mind, and I recalled what he’d told me in those final moments before I awoke:  _ ‘It’s been the basis of all magic since the beginning of time’. _

“Balance!” My head snapped up, the one word torn from my lips at the revelation.

There had been an imbalance of magic when we went through the portal: two Egyptian magicians, three Greek demigods, one Greek ship.  _ That’s _ why Leo’s ship was now imbued with my magic signature- it had been trying to correct for the lopsided spell, trying to bring it back to an equilibrium. It hadn’t been enough, though. The portal had still destabilized, splitting the group by depositing us in different locations. Half of us- Sadie, Leo, and Percy- near the Brooklyn House, and the other half- Annabeth, myself, and the Argo- where we’d intended to go in the first place.

Everything was beginning to make sense now. Why the rainbow messages had been cut off, why Annabeth’s weapon had managed to pierce the scales of the Pterotoi, why the Argo III’s magic was so much stronger now.

So lost was I in my moment of eureka, that I failed to hear the soft footfalls approaching from my right.

“Carter?”

I instinctively jerked away from the sound, reaching for my weapon before the voice registered.

Hazel tilted her head at me, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. “Everything okay? You seemed a bit lost.”

“No- no, sorry, I was just… thinking.”

The demigod followed my gaze to the Argo III. “If you’re worried about it getting finished in time, don’t. The Third Cohort is quite skilled with such machines.”

I shook my head. “That wasn’t-” But before I could relay what I’d discovered, I was interrupted by another, unfamiliar shout.

“Hey Hazel!” We both looked up as one of the other demigods motioned from across the clearing. “Reyna’s looking for you, says that Frank and the Greek girl are back.”

“Thanks, Thomas! We’ll head over there now, unless you still need us here?” Hazel shouted back.

Thomas waved us off. “Nah, we got it covered.”

I pushed myself off of the floor, brushing my hands off on the borrowed jeans. “Guess we should go see what they found.”

We made our way back to the Principia in relative silence, Hazel glancing at me every so often as I mulled over my earlier observations. I was still working out the problem of why the portal had split our group into these locations, specifically. Originally, Sadie and I had planned to emerge near California, over the Luxor Hotel. The large, pyramid-shaped resort was one of the few portal conduits in western America. And according to Reyna, that’s exactly where Annabeth and I had emerged with the Argo III.

_ So then what had pulled Sadie and the others towards Washington? _ The thought buzzed around my mind, waiting for an answer that never came. I knew the Washington portal was fairly close to the Brooklyn House (second closest, after Cleopatra’s Needle in New York). Perhaps that was why. The imbalance was attempting to correct itself by veering towards the Twenty-First Nome? But then, there were Nomes all over North America- why would it divert to the Brooklyn House  _ specifically _ ?

I didn’t know. And after a time, I realized that Hazel had gone from occasional glances to full on staring. Leaving the unsolved problem for later, I looked over at the Roman demigod.

“What?” The question came out a tad accusatory and Hazel ducked her gaze.

“Nothing, sorry. You just… reminded me of an old friend.” A rueful grin creased her lips. “He used to wear that expression every time he was working through a particularly difficult math question.”

“Oh, umm… thanks? I guess.” I ran a hand through my hair, deciding to try and continue the conversation. “Are you guys in the same Cohort?”

The demigod’s gaze became hooded, eyes clouding with emotion. “No. He… he died a long time ago.”

“Oh…” my voice sounded small, even to my own ears. “I’m sorry.”

That was the end of my attempt to hold a dialogue, and we walked the rest of the way in silence.

When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the change in decour. The long main table had been replaced with a smaller, circular one. Five sets of plates and glasses having been spread out evenly along the perimeter. Three of the spots were already occupied, Annabeth and Frank having already started eating, and Reyna calmly sipping from her cup.

She was the first to notice us, lowering the glass and asking. “How are repairs going?”

I let Hazel answer, sliding into the seat besides Annabeth.

“They’re going good. Hugo says they should be finished with the major components by tomorrow morning.”

Reyna nodded in approval, Annabeth glancing up from her steak and potatoes to shoot the Roman leader a questioning look. “The Argo.” Reyna informed. “I assigned one of my Cohorts to work on repairing the ship.”

“Ah, thanks.” The Greek smiled at the Roman before looking over to me and my empty plate. “Not hungry, Carter?”

“What? I-” My gaze slid over to Hazel, noticing that her plate had somehow been filled with food in the past five seconds, even though there was nothing at the table.

Seeing my confusion, Frank explained, “Just tell the plate what you want to eat.”

“You want me to talk to the dishware?” First a talking metal dragon masthead, now this? Demigods were weird. But Frank nodded encouragingly so I looked down at my empty plate. “Umm… Stir fry. Please.” I added, remembering how the rainbow message hadn’t really worked at first until after I used my manners. In the blink of an eye, the dishware had gone from barren to bountiful, a heaping of white rice topped with an assortment of vegetables and meat.

I gaped at the food before me.

“Guessing you’re not used to that kind of ‘magic’?” Frank wondered, smirking at my bemusement.

“Some of the older Nomes have a similar kind of magic.” I admitted, looking around at the various kinds of meals the others had. “But nothing this diverse.” My brain began wandering, sifting through everything I knew and attempting to apply it in a way that might reproduce the magic I’d just beheld.

Annabeth snapped her fingers at me. “Carter? Earth to Carter?”

“Right, focusing. So how did your trip go?” I asked, spooning a helping of the stir fry into my mouth. The food tasted as good as it looked, and I realized then just how hungry I was after working with the Third Cohort for the past couple of hours. I dug into the meal with renewed vigor as the demigod spoke.

“Well,” Annabeth began, cutting into her steak. “For one, that locator spell of yours? Worked like a charm. We found Ihy at the…” The demigod paused, frowning, fork poised halfway between her plate and her mouth. “He was in a… um… where was he, again?”

She directed the question to Frank who shrugged. “Some kind of bar, wasn’t it?” He said around a mouthful of pork dumplings.

“That- yeah, that sounds right.” Annabeth stared at the table for a long moment before shaking her head. “Anyway, we talked for a bit, and then he gave us Hathor’s secret name.”

I blinked. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” The Greek demigod echoed. “He was pretty friendly, for a god. Even told us where we might be able to find Setne.”

My fork absently chased some potatoes around on my plate. Something wasn’t right. “That seems awfully generous. What was the catch?” I asked looking up. I didn’t miss the quick glance the two demigods exchanged, Annabeth’s storm grey gaze briefly flickering with guilt before hardening with resolve.

“Nothing.” She answered, then amended “well, he did request that we not misuse the power of her name. But that’s it. He said something about her going on a rampage being bad for business and then he just… told us her name.”

I still wasn’t convinced.

The Greek demigod must’ve seen it on my face because she sighed. “Look, I’m not one to look a gift pegasus in the mouth. Let’s just be happy that things are going out way, for once.”

“So what’s her secret name?” Hazel inquired.

“The First Eye.”

I facepalmed. “Of course- that makes sense. Hathor was the first one to ever channel a god's power, back when she was sent to punish mankind. She was the original host:  _ literally _ the First Eye of Ra.”

Frank leaned in towards Annabeth. “Is he trying to confuse me?”

“No, he’s confusing  _ without _ trying.”

“That wasn’t confusing.” I protested. “How was that- Never mind. We have the name, now all we need is the book- which Setne has- and the feather- which Sadie is supposedly taking care of.”

“And now we know where Setne will be.” Annabeth added. “The Eternal Flame Falls in New York.”

I allowed myself a smile. After all of the setbacks from the past week, it felt good to be one step ahead. There were still three whole days left until the end of the solar cycle, and- assuming Sadie  _ was _ actually taking care of the feather- we only had one item left to retrieve. As I took a bite of the stir fry, I couldn’t help but agree with Annabeth’s earlier sentiment.

Things were looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Festus is back!!! Yay! I love that little fire-breathing metal masthead <3<3<3 and what's this?!?! Annabeth is keeping secrets? I'm shocked- SHOCKED! ... but not that shocked.
> 
> I think we head back over to the Brooklyn House next time, (Finally, I hear you saying) so we'll be able to find out what exactly happened to Leo and Co.
> 
> Until Wednesday!  
> <3


	24. The Crocodile in the Pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy recovers in the pool, Sadie referees a match, and some unfortunate news is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Hope your week is going well (Whooooaa- we're halfway there~) and here's another chapter for your viewing/reading enjoyment!
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Percy POV)**

It was quiet. And not the type of eerie calm that preceded a battle: More of the still, relaxing, all-encompassing calm.

Percy would have to admit that it was the silence that threw him off. It was abnormal, and yet… fitting. He’d always known that sound was muted underwater, but it still surprised him just  _ how _ quiet it was. Percy sighed, watching the burst of bubbles slowly flutter up to the surface of the pool. They popped on the surface soundlessly, tiny ripples fanning out from the origin in concentric circles.

If he closed his eyes, Percy could almost convince himself that he was back at his mom’s apartment, getting in a quick swim before dinner. Annabeth would be coming over after her classes got out- she practically lived with them nowadays- and Paul would be helping set the table before her arrival. Unfortunately, the Son of Poseidon was forced to address the crocodile in the pool before he could believe his fantasy.

And oh, how he wished that last phrase wasn’t meant in the literal sense.

Despite Sadie and Jaz’s assurances that the Phillip of Macedonia was ‘perfectly harmless’, Percy took great care to stay on the opposite end of the pool from the giant albino crocodile. Sure, his dad was Poseidon, King of the Seas and whatnot, but actually staring down an apex predator in its home turf? Yeah, no. Besides, he was pretty sure crocodiles weren’t exactly creatures of the sea; more like river beasts.

Phillip yawned, (or, what Percy  _ hoped _ was a yawn) jaw opening inhumanly wide to display a neat row of very sharp, very deadly looking teeth. The albino crocodile then swished it’s mighty tail, swimming over to the stairs and settling down in the shallow end. It’s beady black eyes continuing to watch Percy intently. A look of predator watching prey.

Not that the Son of Poseidon was completely defenseless. Sure- the Pterotoi had packed a major punch, but he was surrounded in his element now; the chlorinated water filling him with strength. Though it wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as true seawater, Percy could feel that his bruised ribs were almost fully healed at this point.

_ Splash _ .

Percy glanced up at the surface of the water. The wavy image of a person coming into view, blond hair that was dyed purple at the ends distorted from the water’s natural wake. A delicate hand stretched out over the lip of the pool, fingers lightly slapping the water again.  _ Splash… splash splash _ …  _ splashsplashsplashsplashsplash _ .

Rolling his eyes, Percy pushed off of the pool’s vermiculite floor. His head quickly cleared the surface of the water, and in one smooth motion he pulled himself up onto the rim of the pool, legs dangling in the water. Percy swiped dripping locks from his face, looking over at the younger Kane sibling.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“Jaz wanted me to check on you.” She said, drying her hand off on her pants. “Make sure you haven’t drowned in the past half hour.”

Percy raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t she just come herself?”

Sadie half-smiled. “I convinced her to let me do it. Jaz knows I can’t  _ stand _ being cooped up in the infirmary, so she allowed it. So long as I came back promptly afterwords.”

“...you’re not going to go back, are you.”

The magician laughed. “Got it in one.” She leaned back on her arms, giving the demigod a contemplative once over. “How’re the ribs?”

“Good as new.” Percy said, lightly probing at the spot where the bruise used to be. He pressed on a sore muscle and winced visibly. “Or… practically good as new.” He amended.

Sadie glanced from the water to his ribs, pursing her lips. “How does that work, then? I’m guessing not all demigods can heal in the water.”

“No, I’m pretty sure that’s just a Son of Poseidon thing.” Percy affirmed. “Our ‘powers’, or whatever you want to call them, are related to who our godly parent is. For instance, Leo’s a genius when it comes to anything mechanical- something he got from his dad, Hephaestus.”

Sadie nodded thoughtfully. “What powers did Annabeth get? Super smarts? She seems to know  _ everything _ . Or at least acts like she does.”

“Annabeth’s just a natural know-it-all.” Percy said with a light laugh. “But she does have a sort of sixth sense when it comes to battle tactics.” His heart twinged at the thought of her stranded and injured at Camp Jupiter. The worry was quickly dislodged with a shake of the head and a spray of water droplets.  _ Reyna said she was okay _ , Percy reminded himself.

Meanwhile, the magician drummed her fingers on the floor of the concrete patio- either not noticing or not caring about the demigod’s inner turmoil as she stared off into the distance. “In a way, it’s similar to our magic.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Sadie shifted, “Normal magician’s magic varies depending on what field they study. And here at the Twenty-First Nome, we study… a special kind of magic.”

“The Path of the Gods?” Sadie’s head snapped over to stare at him. “Carter told us.”

The younger Kane pushed out a breath, muttering, “Of course he did. Guess the cats out of the bag now. Yes, we follow the gods. I follow Isis, the god of magic. Carter follows Horus, god of chickens. Jaz follows Sekhmet, patron of healers. And Walt follows Anubis-”

“God of death, not cars.” Percy summed up. Sadie frowned at him.

“... right. But even though all magicians can use the same basic spells, we all specialize in different areas depending on which god we choose to follow. That’s why Jaz is our designated medic.”

“I can see why. You look better.” The demigod commented. And she did; the palor of Sadie’s skin had changed from vampire pale to a pasty tan. What little natural light remained reflected off of her sapphire eyes, the weariness in them from earlier all but gone.

Sadie hummed. “I  _ feel _ better. Less like death warmed over, more like I’ve been trampled by a horde of evil rats.”

Percy blinked a few times, eventually deciding not to question it. “So what now? Gonna hide from Jaz in the pool?”

“And make it easy for her?” Sadie snorted, “Yeah, right. Was actually thinking of wandering around the house for a while, stretch my legs.” Her eyes slid over to Percy. “Have you been given the grand tour yet?”

“Walt gave us one while you were recovering.” He replied. “We saw the great room, the roof, the library, the kitchen, the armory, and the patio.”

“Hang on, you mean you haven’t seen the training room?” Sadie groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Leave it to Walt to show you all of the  _ boring _ parts of the Nome. Honestly, if you’re going to be given a tour, you should  _ start _ with the fun parts.”

As they made their way down the halls, Sadie rambled on about all of the cool features of the training room. It was a multi-purpose chamber, she’d said, doubling as a basketball court during the downtime between classes. With animated gestures, she described how Carter had enchanted the  _ shabti’s _ in such a way that they were basically programmed for not only cleanup, but also a wide variety of different training scenarios: from swordplay to magical attacks to strategy-based team tactic fighting.

“Cleo and Zia helped him with the environmental effects.” The magician continued, a hint of childish excitement tinting her words. “They’re still working out the kinks, but- basically- we can recreate any type of environment within the room: forest, desert, volcano, frozen wasteland, cityscapes. Keeps things interesting, ya’know?”

“Sounds like fun.” Percy agreed with a smile. For all of her bluster, it was becoming increasingly obvious to him that Sadie actually looked up to her older brother. Percy himself had never had any siblings, or half-siblings. Well… unless you counted Tyson. Even so, Tyson was more like a close cousin than a brother. “Carter’s a smart kid.”

Sadie snorted at that. “For such a ‘smart kid’ he can be incredibly stupid. Like, this one time, he decided it would be a dandy idea to grapple with a  _ tjesu heru _ \- a giant, venomous, two headed snake with dragon legs.” The magician mimed smacking her head with her hand. “I mean, hel-lo? It had  _ two _ heads. You can’t just jump on the neck of one and expect the other to completely ignore you.”

“Wait,” Percy frowned. “He attacked it without using magic?”

“Exactly.” The younger Kane motioned in a ‘see what I mean’ gesture. “Like I said, smart but stupid. Then he goes and almost  _ dies _ from it’s venom- luckily  _ I  _ was there to save his arse, as usual- and when he wakes up he has the  _ gall _ to claim he was trying to ‘protect me’ or something. As if I needed protection.”

_ If the boy’s sibling were in peril do you think that he would hesitate to do whatever was necessary to save his sister. _

Latoya’s words snaked through Percy’s mind, unbidden. Before he could even spare it a thought, Sadie drew to a stop outside of a set of twin doors. “Here we are.” She said, twisting the handle and stepping inside. Percy hesitated for half a second before crossing the threshold after her.

The training room was a mess. 

Sadie and Percy had entered through a door on the upper balcony, an indoor track encircling the court below and providing for an excellent vantage point. Another set of doors on the lower level could just barely be seen amidst the carnage, a spiral wooden staircase joining the two levels. The whole basketball court was dotted in thick layers of frost, and harsh scorch marks marred the walls. Puddles of melted ice had pooled in various areas where the two elements had clashed while half-melted, penguin-shaped ice sculptures were scattered around the room like fallen warriors.

Crouched over one of the nearby casualties was a small boy, his shock of unruly blonde hair bouncing as his head twisted to inspect the damage. He held his hands up, muttering a few words before the lump of ice slowly reformed into the distinguishable shape of a penguin.

“Hey Felix!” Sadie called down.

The kid startled, head swiveling to look at the new arrivals. He then waved up at them. “Hi Sadie!” Then a slight pause before a tiny finger was jabbed in Percy’s direction. “Who’s that?”

“This is Percy. He’s a friend.” Sadie introduced with only a slight hesitation before the last word. “He’ll be staying here for a little bit.”

“Oh, okay! Hi, Percy, nice to meet you!” Felix grinned up at him, waving quickly before returning his attention to Sadie and asking, “Where’s Walt?”

“Not here,” Sadie responded, starting down a flight of stairs at the end of the room with Percy close behind. “He and Zia went out for a bit with one of our new friends.” At the mention of the fire elementalist, Felix’s expression soured. Percy glanced again at the melted ice, suddenly having a pretty good idea of what Zia had gone off to hit earlier.

Sadie must’ve come to a similar conclusion. “I take it Zia won the last round of sparring?” She asked, not unkindly.

Felix puffed out his cheeks, emphatically crossing his small arms. “It’s not fair. Zia just kept melting my penguins.”

Percy smiled softly down at the anklebiter. “It’s a little hard to fight fire with ice.”

The kid sniffed, his foot scuffing at one of the ice fractals. “Yeah… fire  _ always _ beats ice.”

“Not always.”

Felix blinked a few times, then turned an inquisitive gaze to Percy. The demigod cast his eyes around the room once more, taking careful note of the ice patterns. It looked as if the main force of the frost attacks were focused in the center, as if the kid had tried to force a wedge between the elementalists defenses. A tactic that hadn’t been terribly effective, as Felix had pointed out himself. There were numerous scorch marks in response to the ice, all of the burns retaliating against the sole frontal attack.

“You just have to out-maneuver her.” Percy advised, “If you can’t break through her defenses head on, then what you need to do is find a way to distract her while maneuvering to get a clear shot.” He looked at the kid only to see that Felix’s brows were furrowed in confusion. Right... this was a kid. Better to keep things simple and tangible. “Here, I’ll show you: How many of those penguins can you create at a time?”

“Five.” Felix declared proudly, puffing out his small chest. “Enough for a whole basketball team!”

“Great,” Percy pulled out Riptide, uncapping the top and allowing the weapon to expand. “Try sending all five of them at me, head-on.”

Felix’s eyes grew wide upon seeing the sword, but then he grinned. “Okay!”

“Hold up!” Sadie interviended, hands raised between the two boys. She sent a pointed look at Percy’s ribs. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

The demigod huffed out a laugh. He couldn’t help it. After all, he’d only be fighting a couple of penguins. Perhaps more importantly, he’d be fighting someone with the apparent skill to make animated animals out of ice: and instead of creating something threatening like snow leopards or polar bears or even arctic foxes, this Felix kid goes with  _ penguins. _

Percy kinda liked him already. “Completely. I’m as good as new, remember?” Not to mention that a quick workout was a great way to remind his sore muscles how to move properly.

Sadie smirked at his confidence, stepping back. “Can’t say I didn’t warn ya. But if you’re going to spar, let’s make it an official match: Best two out of three. We hold competitions every once in a while,” She elaborated at Percy’s questioning look. “The winner gets first turn on the XBox, and unlimited bragging rights until the next tourney.” 

“Bragging rights, huh?” The demigod chuckled. “Fine with me.”

Sadie retreated to the balcony, waiting for the boys to get into position before calling a start to the match. The fight- if it could even be called that- was over in under a minute. Felix summoned his five ice penguins, the frosty creatures brandishing ice clubs and maces as they rushed at Percy, head on. The demigod channeled his energy, manipulating the water that had accumulated on the floor and blasting back the charging horde. The first penguin shattered under the sheer force of the water, the following two slamming back into the others and cracking apart.

The remaining two flightless birds huddled together, raising their flippers to shield themselves from the onslaught. Water fanned out from the obstacle, hiding the demigod from view. Percy kept the liquid barrage going, taking slow steps towards the opponents until he was standing right in front of them. He released his control on the water, and- faster than the ice creatures could squawk- he sliced through them with two simple cuts from Riptide.

The demigod was surprised at just how thick the ice actually was, having to put considerable effort into his swings in order to cut clean through the crystalline figures. Felix stood a little ways away, water droplets dotting his hair as he stared at Percy, slack jawed.

Sadie’s voice called down from the balcony. “Match call. Round one goes to Percy.”

“You see,” Percy explained, lowering the tip of his blade, “if you only attack from a single direction, it’s really easy to keep my focus on the one front.”

The kid nodded solemnly before blurting, “I didn’t know you were a water elementalist!”

“I’m not. Now-”

“So then what are you?” The kid cut in, curiously tilting his head to one side. “An eye?”

Percy had absolutely no idea what that was supposed to mean. “... No? Anyway, when you-”

“So then how are you controlling the water if you’re not an elementalist or an eye?”

He was quickly realizing that his little lesson on tactics would have to wait until Felix’s curiosity was sated. Repressing a sigh, the demigod relented. “I’m a half-blood: half human, half god.”

Felix’s eyes rounded, growing to an impossible size that only kids seemed to manage. “You’re half  _ god _ ! That is  _ super _ cool! Who’s your godly parent? Nyx? It’s  _ gotta _ be Nyx. Or maybe Sobek… Sobek would totally be cooler, but Nyx makes more sense-”

“Nope to both. My dad’s Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.”

There was a long pause as the words registered in Felix’s mind.

“... Greek?”

“Yup.”

Another pause.

“That’s...  _ awesome _ !” Shamrock eyes sparkled with wonder as Felix grinned. “Is your dad  _ really _ the god of the sea?”

Why did these Egyptians always accuse him of lying? It was really annoying. Percy was starting to suspect it was more a ‘them’ thing than something about his own face, though. “Yes.”

“Does that mean you’re part fish?”

“No...” Percy looked down at himself and then was really glad Annabeth wasn’t here, because he’d  _ seriously  _ just checked before answering. She would never let him live that down. He made a mental note to make sure Sadie wouldn’t mention it. 

“Can you control sharks?”

“No.” He admitted with a sad sigh this time, and volunteered more than a one-word response in hopes to sate Felix’s curiosity. “But I can talk to dolphins. And I once rescued a hippocampus- that is, a water horse.”

“Whoa…” 

Percy shifted uncomfortably under the kids wide-eyed stare. Felix was looking at Percy like the demigod was… well, half-god. And man was it weird for Percy to realize that he’d somehow managed to  _ forget  _ that little detail of his life just because he spent summers surrounded by other people in the same boat (or, rather, camp). “Anyways-” He cleared his throat.

“Oooh ooh-!” The kid cut him off with excitement again. “Are you immortal?”

“No.” Percy said firmly, distantly noticing Sadie jerk with her own curiosity at the question and being very,  _ very  _ sure to nip that notion in the bud. He paused for a moment, then lifted his shirt to show off the light bruise that remained from his previously broken ribs. He was a bit glad he had ‘proof’ of his mortality to show this star-struck kid. “I bruise, I bleed, I break, and I fight off apocalypses to celebrate the New Years.” 

“... that’s not fair, is it?” Felix pouted, more annoyed at the circumstance than the demigod himself.

“No, it isn’t. But- we were talking about how to fight fire with ice.” Percy reminded. The magician- having been about to ask another question- closed his mouth and nodded sheepishly. “This time, have your penguins spread out and surround me before attacking.” Percy instructed.

Felix spent a minute recreating his penguins. Then they took up their positions again and waited for Sadie to give the signal to start. Once the word was given, the kid wasted no time in spreading out his forces, brow furrowed in concentration as he controlled the crystalline creatures.

Percy spread his stance, shifting his weight as he watched the penguins move in. He didn’t allow them to get too close, sending quick spurts of water at each in turn to keep them at bay. The demigod was only able to demolish two of them- who knew ice could be so strong?- before the other three got too close for comfort. His sore muscles twinged with annoyance as he twisted out of the way of an ice club. Percy pulled a water spout in an powerful arc, sweeping one of the penguins into the other, the birds sent careening into the side wall.

The final penguin squared up with the demigod. It was amusing, comical even, to see the ice creature heft it’s mace higher with it’s flippers. As if it even stood a chance. In three rapidly traded blows, the court was devoid of animated sculptures. Once the last penguin fell- and Sadie declared the round over in his favor- the demigod returned to the neutral position, panting slightly from the exertion. Compared to the demigod, the kid didn’t even look winded, just slightly frustrated.

“Better.” Percy said, straightening up. “When you come at an opponent from multiple angles, their focus becomes split. Giving you a better chance of breaking through their defenses.”

“But you were still able to beat me.” Felix mumbled, biting his lip.

“Only because your focus was on surrounding me first, and then attacking.” The demigod corrected. “I had time to focus and prepare for the attacks. Instead of using all of your troops to flank me at once, have a few of them come at me from the front, and then have one or two circle around and attack from the rear. It’s all about the pacing.”

At the encouragement, Felix moving back to the starting position, beginning to reform his penguins with considerable enthusiasm. Percy took the time to calm his breathing, his off hand subconsciously rubbing his ribs. They didn’t  _ hurt _ per say, but the combat movements weren’t exactly doing him any favors.

“You’re overextending your swing.”

Percy looked up in surprise. Sadie was leaning over the balcony rail, one arm dangling nonchalantly while her head rested on the other. Contradicting the outward guise of laziness, bright sapphire eyes were locked onto Riptide, scanning the blade critically.

“Sorry?”

“Your swings.” Sadie said again, choosing her words with care. “You flourish too much. It’s straining your muscles without actually providing any combat benefit.”

Percy blinked. “I am?”

The younger Kane nodded. “Yeah. When Carter attacks, he uses simple movements.” Sadie stepped away from the edge, miming swinging a sword. “Yours are too… flashy.”

Flashy? He wasn’t flashy… was he?

“I’ll keep it in mind.” Percy eventually said, taking note of the critique. The last round began soon after, and much like the first two, Felix didn’t hesitate to attack. It was a good sign, in Percy’s mind. Even though he was younger and inexperienced, the kid was proving that he wasn’t to be underestimated.

He knew it was coming, and yet Percy still struggled to direct his attention to the two fronts. He used the same tactic in the first round, blasting the head-on attackers with water. But as soon as he saw the other penguins shift to his flank, he knew he was in trouble. He turned to face the rear, brandishing Riptide. Ice sang against metal as he traded blows with the flightless birds; concentration split between maintaining the water spout and keeping his head from being bashed in.

Percy grunted as one of the blows pushed him back a step.  _ Note to self,  _ the stray thought flashed through his mind as Riptide deflected a club in a shower of ice crystals.  _ Don’t ever underestimate penguins again _ .

Now that he was consciously aware of it, he noticed what Sadie had been referring to. His swings were a bit showy. Percy was subconsciously adding little twirls or flourishes that ate up precious milliseconds of time between strikes. He’d noticed a difference in his fighting style after returning from New Rome, his practice cadence no longer hitting the same rhythm as the other Greek demigods, but he’d thought he’d worked that out last summer. Apparently it was still a work in progress- and even if it was ‘showy’, it was a pace he was familiar with and moved through like breathing. 

As good as he was, Percy soon succumbed under the five-on-one onslaught. He held out for another two minutes, managing to take down three of the five opponents before his energy waned. The geyser of water had turned to a meager spray, and as he tried to reposition himself out of the flank, his foot slipped on a patch of ice. Riptide clamored from his grip as he hit the floor, the air whooshing from his lungs. The remaining penguins stood over his prone form, ice maces leveled at his chest.

“Match call.” Sadie’s voice boomed from the upper level. “Round three goes to Felix!”

“I did it, I did it!” Felix jumped up and down, pumping a tiny fist into the air. “I won a round!” He high-fived (high-finned?) with his penguins, still beaming. The kid’s joy was infectious and Percy found himself smiling despite the defeat. 

“Good job, Felix.” There was a grin in Sadie’s voice as well. “Zia won’t know what hit her. Now, what do we do when we’re done using the training hall?”

Felix’s face scrunched up as he thought for a minute. “We… activate the cleaning  _ shabti’s _ !”

“Bingo.” The Kane watched the kid scamper off to the far side of the court before descending to the lower level,combat boots clomping on the wooden steps. Slowly meandering over to the demigod, Sadie offered Percy a genuine smile. “Thanks for that.”

“For what?” The Son of Poseidon capped Riptide. “Sparring with him? It was fun.”

“For teaching him.” Sadie corrected. “Carter always gets preachy during lessons, Walt’s not that great with the little ones, and Zia doesn’t really know how to hold back in a fight.”

Percy wiped sweat from his brow. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What’s your teaching style?”

“Yeah, right.” The younger Kane laughed. It was a clipped, barking noise- more of a breathy scoff than a drawn out laugh. “You’re a hoot-  _ me _ ? Teaching. We’re attempting to  _ save _ the world, not help destroy it.”

“I’m serious.” The demigod said. “You’d make a good teacher.”

“What, you mean what I said earlier? That was just an observation.” Sadie shrugged, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. “Teaching is... different.”

Before he could point out that that’s exactly what he’d been doing- making observations and explaining them to Felix- the lower door to the training hall swung open. Cleo strode in, a thick book tucked safely in the crook of her arm. It took mere seconds for the librarian to spot them, the girl pushing her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose as she approached.

“Hey, have any of you guys seen Walt?”

Sadie waved a dismissive hand, saying, “He left to go destroy the library.”

That... was the wrong thing to say. Cleo’s hold on her book slackened, the heavy tome  _ thud _ -ing to the floor. All color had drained from the librarian’s face, mouth hanging slack-jawed as she stared at Sadie with terror.

Noticing the other girl’s reaction, Sadie quickly backpedaled. “Not- That’s not what I- A different library, Cleo. A, um... evil library.”

Cleo leveled a glare at the younger Kane that would make even Ares shake in his biker boots. “Just because you don’t like doing research does  _ not _ make libraries ‘evil’.” She admonished, bending down to reclaim the dropped tome. She inspected the binding with a critical eye, brushing imaginary dirt off of the cover as she continued, “Libraries are inanimate locations, they  _ can’t _ be affiliated with a personality trait anyway-”

“Did you need something, Cleo?” Sadie interjected with an over exaggerated eye roll.

The librarian sniffed at the antic, “Yes. If either of you see Walt before I do, please let him know that I can’t say for sure why the portals malfunctioned, but I suspect it was due to the use of an unorthodox portal conduit. He may want to change his approach. And as for the spell you plan to use to seal Hathor, I suggest you change your approach.” Cleo shook her head sadly. “There is no ‘replacement’ for the Feather of Truth.”

“About that…” Percy and Cleo both turned to look at Sadie. “I think I have a workaround to that little issue. I actually got the idea by watching your sparring match,” The Kane said, glancing to Percy. “Your whole concept of a weaker element combating a stronger one made me think: Why fight fire with ice, when you can fight fire with fire. If Setne can mix magics, then why shouldn’t we?”

The librarian frowned. “Mixing magic how? Elemental and combative?”

“More like different godly magic. Egyptian Gods and Greek Gods.”

“...Are you mistaking a dream for a vision again?” Cleo studied Sadie for a moment, then frowned. “Did Jaz even clear you to leave the infirmary, or did you run away again?”

Sadie winced. “Well… technically, she did say I could leave.”

“I mean-  _ other _ gods?” Cleo continued, her tone incredulous as she challenged the sanity of Sadie’s claim. “How is that even possible? Do they all reside on the same plane of the Duat? How would one even go about  _ combining _ two fundamentally different kinds of magic?”

“All great questions. Most of which I have no clue how to answer except for the first.” Sadie said guiltily, talking quick and deliberately turning to finish her thought to Percy. “If Setne figured out how to merge magic with Greek stuff, why can’t we?”

“Why don’t we adopt a unicorn while we’re at it?” Cleo muttered, continuing on to mumble something about ‘deliriums’ under her breath. 

“Because you said that Setne is the Einstein equivalent when it comes to magic.” Percy pointed out.

“Details.” Sadie huffed. “The point is, instead of using an Egyptian relic with the spell, we could find a Greek one. A Greek version of the Feather of Truth.”

Percy he couldn’t believe he was about to say this, but… “That’s- actually not a terrible idea, Sadie.” The idea of going into a fight on even footing was tempting. Foolishly reckless, but tempting. Besides, it wasn’t like Percy was known for being the cool and calculated one.

The younger Kane crossed her arms. “Just because Carter’s a grade-A bookworm doesn’t mean he got  _ all _ of the brains in the family.”

“Just take the compliment. I swear, is it so hard?”

Sadie stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to the librarian. “So do you think you can do it, Cleo?”

Cleo looked up from her grumblings. “Do what?”

“Find something like the Feather of Truth in Greek Mythology.” 

The librarian stared at Sadie like she’d grown a second head, sputtering “You  _ seriously _ think… want  _ me _ to- Sandie Kane I am  _ not _ the Brooklyn Houses’ personal ‘Google’ search!”

“Can I see that sword you were using?"

Felix was back. Percy looked down at the kid, seeing that he was about to be bombarded with another round of twenty questions. The demigod spared a glance back at the bickering girls- Cleo trying to send the very wakeful Sadie to bedrest, and Sadie animatedly trying to prove that her belief in Greek Deities wasn’t a fever mirage- and decided Felix’s curiosity was the better of the two confrontations. 

“Sure. Just be careful with it.” He cautioned, handing the pen over to the kid. “It’s pretty sharp.”

Percy demonstrated how uncapping the pen caused Riptide to form, and that touching the tip of the sword to the cap did the opposite. Felix spent a long minute just standing there, unsheathing and resheathing the blade over and over again. Cleo glanced over at them, an eyebrow raised in intrigue even as she scolded Sadie for exploiting an honest loophole. After another few second, Felix brandished the sword out in front of his, as if he were facing down an enemy. The tip wavered as he tried to hold it steady, small hands struggling to find the right balance on the unfamiliar weapon.

And yet, Felix was grinning from ear to ear. "This is so neat! Where’d you get it?”

“It was a gift from my dad.”

“Can he make me one?” Felix asked, looking up hopefully.

Percy hesitated. “Uh… I’ll ask him next time I see him.”

“Does it ever run out of ink?"

"Um, well, I don't actually write with it."

“Why not?”

Cleo laughed loudly, the librarian having evidently given up on forcing Sadie to go back to the infirmary. “You can’t write with a sword.”

“I think he meant when it’s in pen form.” Sadie pointed out.

“What do you mean? It’s a sword. Just because you put a concealment charm on it doesn’t change what it is.” Cleo retorted, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Needless to say, it wasn’t; and after realizing that everyone was staring at her blankly, the librarian sighed. “Honestly, it’s like you’ve never even  _ taken _ magic theory 101.”

Percy ignored the exasperation, plenty used to Annabeth’s frustrations with the lack of intellect in her peers. “Then how can I carry it around in my pocket if it’s always a sword?”

With a huff, the librarian extended a hand to the youngest magician, palm up. Reluctantly, Felix capped Riptide, placing the now-pen in Cleo’s awaiting grasp. With considerable care, the librarian studied the magical item, turning it this way and that. Uncapping it. Inspecting the blade, then the crossguard and pommel. Her lips moved soundlessly as she concentrated, brows pinching.

“Hmm. Interesting…” Cleo murmured, more to herself than to the others. “There are multiple layers of magic surrounding the sword. A concealment charm- obviously- for when it’s in ‘pen form’, as you call it. A summoning charm that’s bound to your magic signature.  _ And _ a self-contained pocket of the Duat where the sword resides when the concealment charm is active.” The librarian gently passed the pen back to Percy, adding almost accusingly. “This magic is strange though… it’s not- it doesn’t  _ feel _ Egyptian.”

Percy nodded. “That’s because it was made by a Greek God.” He said, bracing himself for another surprised outburst of shock and disbelief. What he  _ didn’t _ expect was a calm acceptance.

The librarian blinked a few times, then pushing her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose again. “Oh…. Well, that explains a lot.”

Cleo wasn’t given any time to ponder this new information as Jaz burst into the training hall. The healer looked around frantically, panicked eyes snaring onto Sadie. “ _ There _ you are, I-”

“I know, I know.” Sadie intervened, holding up her hands in defeat. “I was supposed to come straight back after checking on Percy.”

Jaz shook her head, stumbling over her words. “That’s not what- I mean, yes, of course I’m mad about that, but look, it doesn’t matter. I just got a call from Amos. He said he hadn’t been able to reach you or Carter and ended up calling the Nome directly.”

Percy distantly remembered that ‘Amos’ was the cookie-uncle and a big deal in Egyptian Circles. He glanced at Sadie to confirm and pressed his lips tighter as he saw the younger Kane sober instantly. 

“What’s happened?” Sadie asked, a snap of authority to her voice.

Despite Walt’s earlier claim that all were equals in the Brooklyn House, it was clear to the demigod that the Kanes were unequivocally in charge. All jokes aside- and even if it was a democratic decision instead of appointed- Sadie and Carter had apparently been leading this ‘nome’ successfully for years.

“Sadie…” The Healer took a deep breath, eyes glistening with emotion. “The Luxor Needle has fallen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Well... that's not the best news in the world...  
> Good thing the Kanes and the demigods are on the case!!!   
> ... hmm, yeah on second thought- they might need backup.
> 
> Until Friday!  
> <3


	25. Watching the World Burn (And Other Godly Pastimes)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Luxor Needle has fallen
> 
> Or: A bonus chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Yes, you read the summary right. This is a bonus chapter I wrote back when I was moving into my college dorm. It was a tie over of my normal upload schedule which is why it’s so short, and I will be posting the next (non bonus) chapter by the end of the night.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Hathor POV)**

On any normal day, the Luxor Temple was a sight to behold. Towering nubian sandstone parapets stretched high into the air, it’s bordering walls spanning twenty-eight square miles of desert soil. Crumbling stone sculptures of the egyptian pantheon stood rigid and sturdy, flanked by rows of delicately carved sphinxes and columns decorated with hieroglyphs.

Below surface appearances, the temple was the foremost junction of Duat travel. Half as popular as the Egyptian portals, yet it received twice as much foot traffic: Magicians from various nomes taking advantage of the vast quantities of conduits. So populated was the ancient structure that there was an ever-present thrum of energy surrounding the temple, the magic having seeped into the stones themselves.

A magic that was now gone. As the light broke over the horizon, the local residents of Luxor would soon wake to find that this was  _ not _ any normal day for the Luxor Temple.

Statues had been toppled, the row of sphinxes shattered. Columns upturned from their roots or sliced clean through. Scorch marks peppered the walls of the disintegrating ruins, large chunks of rocks and fissures of earth splintering the ground. Ancient skeletons were smashed to pieces. Hordes of scorpions, lizards, and scarabs squashed underfoot. And the bodies of a hundred fallen magicians were bathed in the blood red rays of the dawn.

Alone among the carnage, Hathor breathed in the pervading smell of death. Red tendrils of energy latched onto the fallen mages as she crossed through the main courtyard, pulsing brightly before snaking off to attach to another of the goddesses victims. With each burst of light, her wounds sustained in the battle healed- bruises shrinking, cuts closing, burns lessening.

It hadn’t been much of a battle. More like a slaughter. Hathor glanced over at the faceless statues of the gods. Oh, how their pantheon had fallen. It was almost symbolic, she thought: The mighty Egypt, once the pinnacle of the world, now nothing more than dusty old gods. None of whom could be named by today’s mortals. She would change all that, bring back the days of old when she and her brethren had been loved, respected,  _ feared _ . The mortals would worship their pantheon again, as they should have; or they would die.

Hathor allowed her gaze to roam over the ones who had shown defiance. A shame. The Luxor magicians were truly talented in their craft. A shame indeed to waste valuable pawns. But they would serve her in death as well as they would have in life, her red tendrils of energy soaking up the essences of the fallen and filling her with power.

Not all had fallen by her hand. The goddess scowled at the unbidden thought. The former Eye of Set had escaped, fleeing from the battle at the last moment. Hathor licked her lips. They had clashed briefly during the battle, and his power…. Oh, how delectable it would have been to consume as her own. It was of no matter that he’d escaped death here; for nowhere was truly safe from her. The next time they crossed paths would be his last.

“All of that effort,” Hathor muttered in the silence, eyes returning to her prize, “for naught.”

By the time she reached the needle, the cow-horned goddess was whole again, raven hair fluttering as she broke through the protective enchantment surrounding the obelisk. Her red tendrils retracted, having completed their search of the deceased.

Hathor raised a hand, resting it on the stone. She took another breath, feeling the newly acquired essence well up inside her. The power was... intoxicating. It took every ounce of willpower Hathor had to not go and slaughter the residents of the nearby village. She couldn’t do that… yet. She had a job to do.

With a burst of energy, Hathor overwhelmed the magic of the obelisk, the force of the essences snapping through the charms and enchantments. There was a ear-splitting  _ CRACK _ as the magic was destroyed, a diagonal crevice bisecting the obelisk. Hathor smiled, pushing casually on the upper half of the Needle. The point tipped sideways, and gravity took over from there.

_ BOOM! _

Hathor smiled, triumphant.

A moment later, there was the sound of slow clapping from behind her.

“Bravo,  _ bravo _ \- quite the showing there. Though, you did leave a  _ bit _ of a mess.”

Hathor turned to face Setne. She hadn’t noticed him there: The resurrected magician’s essence neatly masked by the scent of death. There was only a waft of withheld power reaching the goddesses senses.

Her eyes narrowed at the mortal. “You, on the other hand, have nothing to show but utter failure.”

Setne looked offended. “I upheld  _ my _ end of the bargain. I kept those Kane kids out of your hair, did I not?”

“They are still alive.” Hathor scowled. “You said you would get  _ rid _ of them-”

“I said I would ‘take care of them’,” Setne interrupted, “And I did- notice the distinct  _ lack _ of Kane interference with your work? That’s because of me. You’re welcome.” The magician bowed with a flourish.

Hathor folded her arms, gilded bracers glinting in the early light. “How does the most  _ powerful _ mortal in the millenia struggle to eradicate two  _ children _ .”

“Hey-” For the first time, a sneer crossed Setne’s already twisted features. “I’m doing what I can. Do you  _ know _ how hard it is to cast spells without magical reserves? How tedious it is to rely on petty  _ rituals _ -” he spat the word like it had a sour taste, gesturing with his hands as he ranted, “-to supplement my magic? Not to mention how unstable the Greek ‘magic’ is. Honestly, who creates a powerful magic system without establishing a common base? It’s like they’re asking for an energetic digression!”

Hathor turned her gaze upon the faceless gods surrounding them. “Power will always fluctuate between the pantheons, but it is true that the Egyptians concocted a more stable channel through which to use said power.”

Setne shot the goddess a confused look. “What in the name of Ra are you talking about?”

The goddess suppressed a groan of annoyance, instead rolling her eyes. Mortals. They always did have a fundamental issue with learning even the most basic of concepts.

“The power of the gods is a finite amount.” Hathor lectured. “It fluctuates between the different pantheons as worshipers are gained or lost.”

The magician slicked back a stray strand of hair. “I see. If the strengths can very then that… that changes things.”

“Does it?” Hathor scowled, “As far as I am aware, my goal is nearly reached, while yours remains elusive. If the Kanes are not dead by the end of the Solar Cycle, you and I are going to have to renegotiate your position in the cleansed world.”

Setne’s head turned to look at the fallen mages, eyebrows raised at the challenge. “Oh, believe you me; the Kanes will be the least of your worries. Just focus on destroying the obelisks, and I will take care of the rest.”

There was a whisper of magic and the magician was gone.

Hathor adjusted her bracers. That one she would need to keep a close watch on. The resurrected magician reminded her of the snake god, Apophis; in both ambition and appearance. But he would have his use in her utopia.

The goddess looked back over the courtyard of the Luxor Temple, feeling a pang of regret at the loss of life. The feeling was quickly eradicated, buried underneath the determination to restore Egypt to its former prestige. When all was said and done, the mortals would thank her, praise her, for restoring the pantheon to it’s rightful glory. She would cleanse the world of the non-believers, and bring order to the chaos consuming the earth.

Hathor looked again at the rising sun and smiled. It was the dawn of a new era.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> New POV! It was fun to write from a gods perspective. And Setne is slimy as always.
> 
> I realize I also haven’t responded to some comments yet and I’ll be doing that as soon as we’re done with TCCC training (been at it since 7:30am and we’re still cycling through people). It’s been a looong day.
> 
> Happy Friday!  
> <3


	26. Facing the Fact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadie makes a big discovery (with help), and Leo, Zia, and Walt return form Rockaway Beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy still-Friday!
> 
> Here's that second chapter I promised- Please enjoy :)  
> <3

**(Sadie POV)**

There was a reason I failed my history class. A very  _ good _ reason that consisted of eight letters: studying. It’s not that I never  _ tried _ to study. Quite the opposite, in fact; Liz, Emma and I would get together  _ all _ the time to review notes from Mrs.Gibbonson’s lectures. But there’s only so much of Henry VIII’s reforms we could get through before inevitably devolving into discussing the latest school gossip.

Trying not to lose focus when reading about the various attributes of a Bennu feather was ten times as hard. I set down the heavy tome I’d been skimming through with a groan, rubbing at my eyes. We’d been researching for  _ hours _ on end with nothing to show. Well… forty-five minutes was  _ close _ to an hour, anyway, I thought, looking up from my watch.

I’d lasted longer than Felix, at least. The anklebiter had made it through an impressive fifteen pages of a thinner book before deciding to play with the library  _ shabti _ . Meanwhile, Percy and Cleo were still bent over the librarians laptop; she’d brought it down after agreeing that my idea held, quote, ‘marginal merit’.

The demigod pointed to something on the screen, saying, “What about this?”

Cleo frowned thoughtfully for a moment before shaking her head. “No… it doesn’t have the same magical properties as the feather.”

“But it’s made of cowhide.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Percy shrugged. “Hathor had cow horns.”

Cleo regarded the demigod for a long moment before turning her attentions back to the computer. ”No. Oh- this looks promising: the staff of Cerce?”

The demigod winced. “Yeah, um… that probably won’t help us.”

“It’s a perfect conduit for magic.” Cleo retorted. “It’s a  _ staff _ for Thoth’s sake-”

“I kinda broke it a while back…”

There was a beat of silence. “...you  _ broke _ it?”

“Yeah. Well, actually, Annabeth did.” Percy admitted with another cringe. “I was a guinea pig at the time.”

Cleo lifted an eyebrow. “A guinea pig?”

“Let’s just say it wasn’t my favorite island in the, Waters of Chaos.”

“What are the Waters of Chaos?”

Percy frowned for a moment, I had noticed it as well- that irritating word distortion (Mist, Annabeth had called it) was back. But the demigod ignored it, replying. “It’s in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.”

The librarian blinked in stupefaction. “What were you doing there?”

“Trying to get the golden fleece to save Thalia.”

“Who’s Thalia?”

“A friend of mine.”

“And  _ why _ did this girl need wool so badly you had to go to the  _ Bermuda Triangle  _ to get it?” 

“Actually, back then she was this magical tree that had been poisoned. She was part of our camps’ barrier at the time, so we were under a pretty big time crunch.” The demigod’s nonchalant answer hung in the air, Cleo’s mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

Now I’d seen impossible feats before, but this one took the pudding. And the icing.  _ And _ the sprinkles on top. Cleo was the irrefutable  _ master _ of information (Yes, even more so than Carter): always asking questions, looking for answers, and- usually- finding them. So to finally see her rendered question-less was a sight to behold.

I couldn’t help myself; I laughed. The abrupt sound caused the librarian to jump, spinning around to stare at me. “What?” she demanded.

“Oh, nothing,” I smirked, waving a hand flippantly. “I’m just glad to know there  _ is _ a way to shut you up.”

Cleo’s face reddened, and she sputtered for a moment before becoming coherent again. “Fine! You want me to ‘shut-up’, I will. Good luck finding a replacement on your own.” She whirled back to her laptop, snapping it shut and moving towards the door.

I jumped out of my chair, my own face paling at the thought of doing research without the other girl. “Wait- Cleo, that’s not what I- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed.”

“For once, you’re right.” The librarian snapped. “You  _ shouldn’t _ have laughed.”

Percy made to cut her off. “Hang on a second, I’m sure she didn’t mean it like that.”

Cleo shouldered past him, “I don’t  _ care _ how she meant it. I am  _ sick _ and tired of-”

But we never got to hear exactly what the librarian was sick and tired of, because as her hand reached for the doorknob, those same doors burst open; swinging around on their hinges to slam into the wall with a loud  _ thud _ . The sound echoed around the tall chamber as Walt, Zia, and Leo barged into the room. 

The magicians were in combat stances, Walt gripping a necklace and Zia brandishing her staff. My heart stuttered with worry when I saw the growing bruise creeping down Walt’s jawline. His torso was also littered with small knicks that had already clotted over. It took every ounce of self control I had to resist running over and fussing about the wounds. After all, I was still mad at him for leaving Carter and I to deal with this new Apocalypse on our own. He didn’t care about us running into danger so why should I care when he does? It was only fair… wasn’t it?

And, okay, maybe that was a bit harsh; but I wasn’t about to admit that aloud. I had a reputation to uphold. So I forced down my gut instinct to go to Walt, and instead cast my gaze over the other two that had come in with him. Zia looked tired, but otherwise okay, her clothes caked with a tan dust. Leo, on the other hand, looked like he’d been tossed into a furnace. Soot and ash covered the demigod from head to toe. His borrowed clothes were in tatters; sleeves signed to the elbows, small tears peppering the fabric, and one of the pant legs had been all but burned away.

He was grinning like an idiot. “Wassup, Aquaman?”

Percy facepalmed.

Walt, too, relaxed his stance. “So  _ this _ is where you all were. We couldn’t find anyone anywhere,” He cast his gaze around the room, taking in the stacks of books. “Where’s Jaz? And… what are you all doing?”

“Jaz is sleeping. And we,” I gestured to Percy and Cleo, “were researching before you so rudely busted down the door.”

Walt stared at me for a long minute. “Who are you and what have you done with Sadie Kane?”

“She had a good idea about how to stop Hathor.” Percy supplied.

Walt glanced at him, “... my question stands.”

Cleo snorted. I shot her a glare, then huffed. Honestly,  _ why _ was everyone so surprised about that? It’s not like Carter had had all of the good ideas. Like the time we had gone to retrieve Bes’  _ sheut _ , or when they had split up to find both Zia  _ and _ the last scroll from the Book of Ra to save time- those had been her plans! And, admittedly, those hadn’t  _ exactly _ worked out flawlessly....

“What happened to you guys?” Percy’s question drew me from my inner grumblings. “I’m guessing the library is gone?” At that, Cleo made an interesting noise somewhere between a whimper and a growl; knuckles whitening on her laptop.

Walt nodded. “Yes, we-”

“Oh you should’ve  _ seen _ it Aquaman!” Leo cut in, grin widening as the words tumbled from his mouth. “At first we tried being all sneaky- y’know, Mission Impossible style!- but it didn’t work out so well and we got our butts handed to us. So then Inferno over here,” The demigod motioned to Zia, who blanched at the nickname. “Used magic to make the tower fall- but they started rebuilding it because they had a three headed staff thingy that could reverse time. Which- I feel that I have to add- is  _ so _ cheating. I mean, I’d totally install a flux capacitor on my baby if I could, but I can’t- so the fact that they used time magic was  _ super _ unfair. Anyways, then- ahh,  _ dios _ it was awesome- we went back and Zia was all like ‘Flame on!’ and she used Greek fire to attack the crazy barbies!  _ Man _ , you should’ve seen it-  _ Fwoosh! Blam! Kablooey! _ ” Leo waved his arms along with the noises, imitating the fire elementalist. “But then the barbies created a forcefield with the staff! And so I ran up and swung my spanner at it and it completely snapped in half.”

The demigod’s enthusiasm deflated significantly and he rubbed the back of his neck. “After that… I don’t really remember much.”

For a solid twenty seconds, the library was exactly as Cleo had always wanted it to be: absolutely, one-hundred percent silent.

“ _ Inferno _ ?” Zia’s voice growled, low and fierce; much like the complimenting glare she sent in Leo’s direction.

Ignoring the two hotheads, Percy turned to Walt, asking, “So what  _ actually _ happened?”

“What he said was mostly true,” Walt sighed. “We did manage to bring down the library, but the Muses had the Staff of Ptolemy at their disposal- which, to put it mildly, complicated things.”

Between Leo’s jumbled explanation and the new vocabulary word, I was beyond lost. “The staff of who now?”

A laugh rumbled from Walt, deep and warm. “ _ That’s _ more like the Sadie I know and love.”

My cheeks flushed. The way he spoke that last word, like reminding the room that his hair is black, as if it were a basic part of who Walt was, only served to deepen the guilt at my earlier lack of concern. No, I decided, I wasn’t being fair. Walt continued talking as my mind dredged up unbidden reminders of everything that had happened since our last date.

Looking back on it, I realized Walt  _ had _ been trying to help all along: Giving me the charm necklace, sifting through research while we were gone, volunteering to stop the Muses. He had wanted to help since the beginning. It was only Anubis’ caution that had made him hesitate, and I couldn’t exactly blame Anubis either. The host god had tried to explain to me why Walt couldn’t go at the beginning of this whole debacle; and even though he did a piss poor job of explaining things, I hadn’t really tried to understand. Hadn’t believed there was anything  _ to _ understand. As rare as it was, I was in the wrong this time.

By the time I’d sorted through those thoughts, Walt was wrapping up his retelling. “-So we had to go back. Luckily, Leo had a plan.”

“A  _ great _ plan.” The demigod in question corrected.

Zia rolled her eyes. “We clearly have different definitions of that word. Leo’s job was to distract the muses while I snuck up from above with the vial of green fire-”

“Greek fire.” The repair boy cut in. “Not green. Even though it  _ is _ green...”

“Anyway,” The elementalist ground out. “I used it to attack the muses- and for the record, I did  _ not _ yell ‘Flame on’- but they did defend themselves. Next thing I knew there was a loud  _ crack _ and a concussive wave of magic. Their shields went down, and the fire… it consumed  _ everything _ .”

The stern elementalist’s voice actually wavered on the last word. I stood up straighter: Zia wasn’t one to scare easy, so if even  _ she _ feared this Greek fire stuff… A chill raced down my spine (Note to self: Don’t mess with green fire).

“I managed to reign it in,” Zia continued after a pause, her eyes flicking to Leo. “But... I thought it’d killed you.”

“Aww, you  _ do _ care, Candlestick.” The demigod teased. “But it’s like I told you earlier; I’m fireproof.”

I had a hunch that, unlike me, the flush on the elementalist’s cheeks had nothing to do with embarrassment; if the steam rising from her head was anything to judge by.

“ _ Don’t _ call me candlestick.”

Percy crossed his arms, stating, “It’s official. Everything having to do with magic explodes.”

“When you  _ break _ a magical item, it creates a magical  _ backlash _ .” We all turned to look at the librarian. Cleo huffed under our scrutiny. “It doesn’t explode, the magical energy is just released all at once.”

“You’re describing an explosion.” Leo pointed out as he unsuccessfully tried to rid his nails of dirt. “What about you guys? Do anything interesting while we were gone?”

“Percy sparred with me!” Felix called down happily from his perch atop one of the  _ shabti’s _ broad shoulders.

Dirty nails forgotten, Leo’s head whipped up to stare at his fellow demigod. “Dude! Not cool- I told you, Annabeth’ll have my head if you get hurt.”

“I’m  _ fine _ , Leo.” Percy insisted, rolling up the side of his shirt to display a minor bruise (all that remained from his formerly broken ribs). “See? All better. No need to fear Annabeth’s wrath.” The mechanic didn’t look entirely convinced, but didn’t press the matter.

“He was  _ so _ cool!” Felix slid down the arm of the  _ shabti _ , bounding over towards Walt and Zia. “He has this pen that’s actually a sword- and he can control water! But not ice- or me and my penguins wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

I fought back a groan as Felix rambled on. It was the exact same, equally excited story he had relayed to Cleo, and then to Khufu when they’d passed the baboon in the hallway. She honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the tale was the first words off of his lips for the next few days.

“What was the score?” Zia queried, interest piqued.

“Percy won the first two rounds, and Felix took the last.” I summarized, watching the elementalist’s brows lift in surprise.

Leo, on the other hand, squinted at his fellow demigod. “You lost… to a penguin?”

“There were  _ five _ of them.” Percy pointed out. “And they weren’t real penguins, the kid made them out of pure ice and magic.” 

Felix preened at the compliment. 

“I’ve seen you take down giants and gorgons, challenge Nike and  _ win _ , and- according to Annabeth- you killed a minotaur with your bare hands.” The demigod counted off the victories on his fingers, “And yet you were beaten by a  _ penguin _ ?”

I blinked at the impressive-sounding resume. My mind flashing back to the hectic moments in London, when we were running from the giant snake with wings. The snippets of the battle I’d seen between preparing the spell and casting it only reinforced Leo’s claims. That fight had been a lot closer to what I felt was the demigod’s normal style of combat (as opposed to him hurling his stomach over the side of the ship after missing an entire scuffle with sphinxes).

What was even more admirable was the fact that the demigod didn’t even have  _ magic _ . Well, discounting his elemental ability to manipulate water: That wasn’t  _ real _ magic, it was… whatever it was, it didn’t count. Percy still seemed the most comfortable fighting in close quarters; whereas I was more than happy to remain a good fifteen yards away from my opponents.

“There were  _ five _ penguins.” The Son of Poseidon retorted, “and anyway, it was just a sparring match.”

Leo snorted.

Felix’s head swivelled between the two demigods, a wrinkle forming between twin sapphire eyes. “You fought a shoe?”

“Hm? Oh, no, Nike is the goddess of victory.” Leo explained, squatting down so he was level with the kid. “And Water Boy here beat her in an open competition.”

Percy squirmed as the rest of us stared at him. “I had help.” He admitted.

“Wouldn’t that make her the goddess of losing, then?” Felix teased with a smile, obviously meaning it as a compliment on the demigod’s skills. I chuckled with him, but the two demigods visibly cringed and shared a look before turning back to the group. 

“She may not throw lightning bolts or cause tsunamis- But it is  _ never  _ a good idea to insult a god.” Percy cautioned to the group, then turned to Felix specifically. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you lose the next ten times you play a boardgame.”

Huh. So the Greek gods could give out temporary curses? Good to know.

With a gasp, Felix’s hands flew up to cover his mouth, as if doing so could retract what he’d said. His eyes had blown wide with panic and Percy stepped forwards quickly, placing a calming hand on the kid’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, there’s a way to ask for forgiveness. Trust me, I’ve insulted quite a few of them myself. All you have to do is burn an offering in their name and you should be good.”

Felix bagan to relax, but Walt didn’t look completely reassured. “What kind of ‘offering’ are we talking about?”

“Oh, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy.” Leo piped up, “Maybe a box of Pop Tarts? Just burn it and say ‘I offer this sacrifice to Nike, goddess of victory’. Although if you ever piss of Hephaestus, your best bet is to sacrifice some Ben & Jerry’s Rocky Road ice cream. He  _ loves _ that stuff.”

“Ice cream?” Percy looked confused.

“Yeah, the dude works in a forge all day.” Leo shrugged. “Truthfully, I can see the appeal of a cold snack.”

“Huh…. Never thought of it that way.”

Felix turned to Zia, ignoring the demigods as he grabbed her hand. “C’mon, I need to go burn a box of pop tarts!”

Zia raised her eyes to the ceiling, but allowed the kid to pull her towards the door. As they crossed the threshold, the elementalist looked over her shoulder, calling, “Let us know if you find anything.”

“Will do, Candlestick!” Leo replied, waving in farewell.

At a command from Cleo, the library doors swung shut, the magical soundproofing cutting off Zia’s response to the nickname. Percy heaved a sigh, shaking his head at his fellow demigod.

“Do you  _ enjoy _ annoying people?”

“I thought that was in my job description?” Leo deadpanned.

“So what have you found so far?” Walt asked, steering the conversation back on course.

I folded my arms and leaned against the table. “A whole lot of nothing.” I grumbled. “Heaping mounds of it.”

“There’s not  _ nothing _ .” Cleo contradicted, shaking her head in dismay. “Just because you lack the patience and focus to do actual research doesn’t mean there’s nothing of value to be gleaned from these books.”

Leo cocked his head up at us. “What are we looking for again?”

“Some Greek article to replace the Feather of Truth.” I said. “Only it has to have the same magical properties as the Egyptian equivalent. Essentially, you can’t tell a lie when you hold it.”

Inquisitive brown eyes flicked to Percy. “Like the Fidelity Coin?”

Percy blinked. “The what?” 

“It’s basically this coin that tells whether something is true or false.” Leo said as he stood, brushing his hands on his pants. The action sent small clouds of dirt blooming into the air. He looked at his fellow demigod questioningly. “You’ve never heard of it?”

“Was it something Chiron lectured about?” Percy winced. “I, uh, was never really good at staying awake in his classes.”

“Me either.” The mechanic admitted with a smirk, though his expression fell and he cleared his throat before explaining. “But no, it- uh- I was researching it after Festus… well. I thought it could help me troubleshoot his interconnects. Maybe find out how to restart his motherboard, y’know…” his voice trailed off, Percy nodding sympathetically in his silence.

After a moment, Cleo coughed lightly to get their attention. “So what does this Fidelity Coin do, exactly?” She asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

Leo straightened up, blinking rapidly and I noticed a thin shine of moisture in his eyes. I was slightly taken aback. Sure, the mechanic had always seemed to brag about everything on the ship (and who could blame him, that flying thing was  _ cool _ ) but he seemed truly heartbroken over it’s loss- the way most people would feel about losing a pet. His tone was jovial again when he spoke, but there was an added undertone to it, as if he were forcing the words past a lump in his throat.

“From what I remember, it’s kind of like a Magic-8 ball. You ask it a question then toss it; if it lands on heads it’s the truth, tails means its false.”

I looked over at the librarian. “Would that work?”

Cleo tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Theoretically speaking, it does match the base components of the feather... ” She lifted her shoulders. “There are too many variables to be absolutely sure but it’s the best option I’ve heard yet.”

“Great!” I clapped my hands together. “So where do we find this coin?”

“I know it’s somewhere in Tennessee.” Leo said, gaze turning towards the floor. “That’s about as close as I came to finding it, though.”

“That should be close enough for a scrying.” Walt mentioned, “I’ll go get the bowl.”

A few minutes later I had my hands spread over the reflective brass dish, eyes closed as I concentrated. Taking a deep breath, I pushed my magic out in a methodical search of the specified state, running it back and forth in a grid pattern as I stayed alert for any strange magic signatures.

Scrying takes a lot of focus. The amount of concentration needed to actively probe through thousands of square miles of land, looking for a single coin was the magical equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack. And as I’ve already mentioned (and as Cleo so kindly pointed out) long bouts of intense focus was  _ not _ my strong suit. On a good day, I could focus for maybe five or ten minutes; today was decidedly  _ not _ a good day. It didn’t help that Leo was absentmindedly humming the Mission Impossible theme song in the background, and that my subconscious felt the need to dredge up my mixed emotions regarding Walt.

I lasted a commendable three minutes and fifty-seven seconds before I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled my hands away from the bowl, releasing the magic with a frustrated groan. “Nothing.”

Walt stepped towards me, “Why don’t you try again-”

“I already looked, and I can’t sense anything.” I snapped at him, crossing my arms. “And even if I  _ could _ sense something it’s a little hard to concentrate with all of these distractions.”

Leo’s humming cut off abruptly and he ducked his head guiltily with a murmured apology.

Walt frowned at my outburst, but his tone remained soft as he suggested, “Then maybe you should take a walk and clear your head.”

“I don’t have  _ time _ to-”

“Cleo can take over looking for it in the meantime.” Walt interrupted gently. “If she hasn’t found anything by the time you’re ready then you can give it another go.”

How dare he use logic against me. But I had to concede his point. “Fine, but only if you come with me.” I knew that, even if I’d been given all the time in the world, I wouldn’t be able to calm my mind until I’d talked with him. Or, more accurately, apologized to him for everything I’d done recently.

Walt didn’t seem surprised by the request, nodding and falling in step with me as I left. My feet padded up the stairs and across the Great Room, mechanically drawing me closer to my favorite spot in the house.

I pulled up short of the balcony, staring out through the glass panels. The midnight sky stared back, a waxing crescent moon smiling down from above, white spots sparkling and twinkling among the vast expanse of deep cerulean. Walt came to stand next to me, his presence steady and strong at my side. He didn’t say anything, he just stood, waiting for me to speak and knowing that no amount of prompting would get me to talk sooner than I wanted to.

I didn’t say anything for a while, relishing in the simple silence of companionship for a long moment. Eventually, though, my churning thoughts and emotions demanded to be released, and I sighed quietly. 

“Look,” I started, “I’ve been thinking, and… I just… what I mean to say is that I’ve been being a bit of a jerk to you lately and…”

“Now I know something’s wrong with you.” Walt said teasingly. “Sadie Kane- apologizing?”

I swatted his arm, fighting to hold in a smirk even as he made no move to block me. “Shut up. I’m  _ trying _ to be sincere here. I just,” I stopped, biting my lip. “I don’t understand why Anubis wouldn’t let you come in the first place! He seemed okay with you leaving to stop the Muses.”

“That’s…” Walt hesitated, then sighed. “From the way Anubis explained it to me, tampering with the other magics is a danger to him. If he’s even in the vicinity of that kind of power he could be forcibly ejected from my body.”

That was not what I was expecting to hear. At all.

“What?” It took all of my breath to say that single word. Then the full implication of his words hit me like a ton of bricks. My breathing hitched. Without Anubis as his host, Walt would… I shook my head, not wanting to have to think about that.

Compassionate brown eyes bored into my own. “Sadie, it’s okay, I don’t blame you for being frustrated with me.”

I shook my head again, harder this time. How could I have been so horrible? “No- no you should! Here I was, berating you for being a coward when all along… You should be mad at me, you should be annoyed with me, you should hate me for the way I treated you. You have every right to be and the fact that you aren’t isn’t  _ fair _ . And here I am yelling at you when  _ you _ should be the one yelling at me!”

I had looked away at some point during the rant, and so I stiffened when I felt a pair of strong, thick arms wrap around me in a hug. I returned the embrace instantly, clinging onto the back of his shirt and burying my head in his chest.

“I could never hate you.” The words were murmured soothingly in my ear.

That was the final straw. I screwed my eyes shut against the flood of tears, feeling most of them squeeze out despite my efforts. My shoulders shook as silent sobs wracked my body. Through it all Walt held on, pressing me close and letting me cry.

What felt like an eternity later, I felt the flood slow to a trickle and I took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.” The wavering words were barely audible even to my own ears. I was sorry for a lot of things. For my short temper, for jumping to conclusions, for giving him the cold shoulder, for staining his shirt with my tears. I felt the need to say it again. “I’m sorry.” Louder this time, stronger.

“Does this mean we’re good?” Even without seeing his face I could hear the smile in Walt’s voice.

I huffed out a breath. “Yeah… We’re good.”

Walt loosened his hold, but didn’t let go. “Are you feeling better?”

I nodded into his shoulder.

“Ready to go back and try again?”

“Not yet.” I admitted, pressing my hands against his back and feeling the casual sinew beneath the shirt. “I just want to stay here for a while longer, with you.”

And we did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Yay! Sadie and Walt are no longer fighting :) Happy days are here again!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who leaves kudos and even BIGGER thanks to those who comment with their thoughts :-) I love hearing from you all!
> 
> Until Sunday!  
> <3


	27. Truth or Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Leo is no longer allowed to drive, Percy and Sadie go to get a coin, and the truth is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Monday! Or is it? Dun dunn DUUUUUNNNNN!!!!  
> It is for me because drill is FINALLY over. I realize I missed yesterday's update and I apologize. I'll still be uploading tomorrow per usual, so never fear.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Percy POV)**

Mistake number one was letting Leo drive.

Percy should’ve predicted that from the moment Sadie allowed the Son of Hephaestus to take the wheel of the reed boat. They’d left the Brooklyn House earlier that morning, the magician having flown them through the world-distortion thing; that nauseating feeling not as strong as it had been the first time. She then showed Leo the ropes- or rather, reigns, as they had brought Freak along with them.

“-and pull back to stop.” Sadie had told him. “It’s a lot like riding a horse.”

Percy should’ve spoken up then, having seen first hand how hard it was for the Son of Hephaestus to control even the most tame of the pegasi back at camp. But he hadn’t. And now they were walking the rest of the way.

“He can fly a giant metal ship,” Sadie grumbled, kicking at a stray pebble in her path. “But he can’t even control a griffin for ten minutes?”

Percy could only shrug. At least the mechanic would be able to fix the damage. Eventually. Leo had pulled out the roll of colored duct tape with an apologetic grin, saying he would have the reed boat ready to go in just over an hour. Thankfully they’d crash-landed near the location of the coin, Sadie and Percy opting to walk the rest of the way while Leo did his thing.

“Shouldn’t be too long now.” Sadie spoke up at the demigods lack of verbal response. “The location I got was somewhere along the Scenic Highway.”

“So what you’re saying is that, thanks to Leo’s poor animal handling, we get to take the  _ scenic  _ route.” Percy joked, wiggling his eyebrows at the younger teen. Sadie chuckled while the demigod glanced to his left, watching a few cars race by on the road. “Any idea what we’ll be up against?”

“I was going to ask you that.” The magician folded her arms behind her head. “It is a  _ Greek _ mythical item, after all.”

“Well if it’s like any of my other experiences with magical macguffins, we’ll probably have to fight our way through some monster or god or whatnot.”

“Great.” Sadie groaned, “Awesome. Just what the doctor ordered.”

She leaned back as they continued to walk, head tipping to stare at the sky. Percy found himself studying the younger girl: Her normally loose hair had been pulled back in a plait, leather jacket tied around her waist while her combat boots clomped through the undergrowth on the side of the street. Even after the night of rest Sadie still looked tired, drawn lines stretching under her eyes from what the demigod could only assume was a lack of sleep.

“How are you holding up?” The words were out of his mouth before Percy even realized he was speaking.

“Me?” Sadie tilted her head to look at him. “That’s not the first time I’ve been in a hard landing. I’m fine. Never been better.” At the demigod’s skeptical expression she rolled her eyes. “Okay- correction: I’ve been better, but I’ve also been  _ way _ worse. You?”

Percy shrugged. “Same.”

The two fell back into a simple silence. As the distance was slowly eaten underfoot, Percy found himself grateful that he had been able to change back into his own clothes. The white pajama outfit had been comfortable, but it hadn’t been  _ him _ . The Son of Poseidon greatly preferred his Camp Half-Blood shirt and jeans to the magician’s cotton robes. Before they’d left, Walt had magically repaired Percy’s worn out sneakers; a fact the demigod was grateful for given the current circumstance.

“So,” Sadie’s voice once again fractured the silence. “Annabeth told us you’ve, uh, slept in hell before? The um… tarter sauce place, or whatever.”

Percy huffed out a half-laugh, half-sigh. “Tartarus. And, it was more like I was unconscious.” He shuddered slightly, the reaction having nothing to do with the chill in the air. “Sleeping in a den full of the worst monsters ever created is a pretty hard thing to do.”

The magician hummed thoughtfully, her gaze sympathetic. “I can believe that.” She said softly.

While they were in a sharing mood… “What about you? Any interesting misadventures?”

“Not really,” Sadie had suddenly found the ground to be a fascinating study. “Just the usual.”

Percy waited a moment, and when it was clear that the magician wasn’t planning to elaborate, he tried again, clearing his throat. “Carter told us a bit about your mom-”

“ _ Carter _ needs to learn when to shut his big, fat mouth.” Sadie interrupted with a growl.

_ Touchy subject _ , the demigod noted, backtracking a bit.

“I almost lost my mom, once.” He offered instead. Maybe opening up to the younger girl would encourage her to do the same. “Hades, the Greek god of death, threatened to kill her if I didn’t give him Zeus’ master lightning bolt. Which- I feel the need to add- I didn’t even  _ have _ at the time.”

Sadie had listened with rapt attention, frowning when he paused. “… what did you do?” She asked.

“My friends and I went to the underworld to save her. That was my first ever quest.” Here the demigod paused with a smile, reminiscing over the old memories that were dragged to the surface. Those had been simpler times- when his biggest fear was getting into and out of Hell. With a small shake of the head, Percy continued. “I didn’t know them very well at the time. One was my best friend who had lied about his identity, and the other was this snarky, obnoxious know-it-all.”

“Annabeth?” The magician guessed.

Percy smirked. “Yeah. The thing is, even though we were practically strangers, I had to trust them in order to save my mom.”

Sadie hesitated for a moment before her eyes hardened. “What, so you’re saying I should just go blabbing all of our secrets?” She snorted. “Yeah, no. That’s never worked out well for us in the end.”

Percy groaned internally. “After everything, you still don’t think you can trust us?”

“I’m just not the sharing type.” The younger Kane countered with a shrug. “That’s Carter’s stint. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you guys wanna help out and everything.” She added, eyes darting to the demigod and back. “It’s just… after everything we’ve been through, I’ve learned that people usually aren’t who they say they are.”

While her words stung a bit (seriously, did he just have one of those untrustworthy faces?) the demigod could hardly fault the girl for her caution. After all, within a year of learning of his own godly heritage, he’d discovered his best friend was half-goat, his teacher was a centaur, and one of his first friends at camp was actually a spy for Kronos- the biggest, baddest Titan of the bunch.

It’d been one hell of a year.

“We’re here.”

Percy looked up at Sadie’s call, noticing the large, castle-like structure ahead. There was a log cabin lodge situated next to the north tower, an ‘Open’ sign hanging in the window. Between the two buildings was a bright neon-red sign that read. ‘Welcome to Ruby Falls!’. A smaller banner underneath mentioning something about celebrating the new expanded cavern tours.

Sadie laughed upon seeing the sign. It was a bitter sound, and when Percy looked over he saw the younger girl’s eyes misted over. “Of all the-” She huffed, eyes sliding over to find the demigod staring at her. “You wanted me to share, right?” She remarked abruptly, gesturing towards the entrance. “Well, my mom’s name was Ruby. She died trying to seal away an evil god. One could even say she ‘fell’ defending the world.”

Percy looked back at the neon red sign with tight lips. Sometimes the fates were cruel in their ironies.

“She was a hero.” He said, putting a hand on the magicians shoulder and squeezing it gently.

Sadie’s lips pressed together in a thin line and took a steadying breath in through her nose. As she released it, her face became a steely mask of determination. “C’mon.” She grumbled, walking towards the entrance. “Let’s go get this coin.”

Percy lingered for half a second before falling in step with the magician. Honestly, he couldn’t understand the blonde at times. He huffed at the notion. Apparently that was becoming a repeating theme in his life: first Annabeth, now Sadie. When they’d first met the magician back at the park, he’d been entranced by the spunky teen: because she looked  _ exactly _ how Percy imagined his and Annabeth’s children would be. Not that he thought about that stuff often. Only occasionally... It was just that when-  _ if _ they ever had kids, he’d always pictured them with Annabeth’s thick, blond locks and his bright, green eyes.

The demigods cheeks flushed slightly while that particular train of thought ran its course; and it took him a long moment to realize that they weren’t outside anymore.

As with all tourist destinations, the entrance to Ruby Falls just so ‘conveniently’ began in a gift shop. It looked a lot like every other overpriced gift store, with brightly colored signs to various items drawing the demigod’s attention. Sea-green eyes roved over the displays near the front desk, blinking in surprise when he spotted a small stand full of shiny circular disks near the back of the shop. A neon green piece of cardboard was taped above the display, announcing: ‘Make a Wish on the Falls with the Fidelity Coin! Purchase yours today for $2.89!’

“That was easy.” Percy muttered, pulling out his wallet and rifling through its contents. “Hey, do you have a quarter on you?” He asked, directing the question to Sadie.

“Put that away.” The magician growled under her breath. “Those aren’t  _ real _ .”

Percy glanced at the shimmering coins. “Really? They look pretty solid to me. Authentic metal drachmas and everything.”

Sadie rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I- there’s no magic in those coins.”

“Oh… well… maybe you have to make a wish first for it to activate? Don’t look at me like that! Everyone knows that you make a wish on a coin before throwing it into a well.”

Sadie rolled her eyes anyway. They continued to search through the gift shop, looking through every row, every bathroom stall, and behind every vending machine. After a half hour had passed with nothing to show, they reconvened by the front desk.

“You’re sure it’s here?” Percy asked.

“Yes.” Sadie growled, brows furrowed in frustration. “I can barely sense any magic though. It’s like we’re too far away…”

The magician trailed off, staring over the demigod’s shoulder. Percy followed her gaze, seeing another tour group gathering at the entrance to the caverns. When he looked back at the younger Kane the girl simply shrugged. “It’s the one place we haven’t checked.” The Son of Poseidon stifled a groan. Of  _ course _ they would have to descend into the dark, narrow cave complex to get a coin. Joy.

Despite his lack of enthusiasm, the demigod couldn’t fault Sadie’s logic. And besides, most of the things he’d had run-ins with made their dens in annoyingly obscure places like caves and labyrinths and gardening shops.

It was a simple matter for the two teens to slip into the back of the large group, blending in with the other children who looked excited at the prospect of delving into the bowels of the mountain. The temperature dropped as the tour group made their way down into the caves, Sadie uncinching her jacket and shrugging the article of clothing over her thin arms. Percy tuned out Sally’s lecture as they slowly made their way deeper into the cavern. His eyes trailed lazily along the walls, admiring the stalactite and stalagmite formations stretching from the floor and ceiling (not that he actually remembered which referred to which). There was the steady sounds of dripping water from the rocky features, the normally calming noise instead putting the demigod on edge for some reason.

It took him a good few minutes to realize why. Once he did, the demigod’s head began roving over the dark walls, frowning at every crevice, peering into each ravine.

“What are you looking for?” Sadie’s voice hissed quietly at him after a moment, the magician having picked up on the demigod’s sudden shift in mood. “I still don’t sense anything like the coin.”

“There’s nothing here.” Percy whispered back.

Sadie spread her hands. “That’s what I’ve been  _ saying _ -”

“No.” The Son of Poseidon interrupted. “Not- not the coin. I mean the nymphs and dryads. They’re not here.” The magician only blinked at him in confusion. Oh, right. She’d probably never heard of the nature spirits before.

“They make their homes in places of natural beauty.” Percy explained foregoing his search for the time being. “Near lakes, in forests,” He gestured to the surrounding rocks. “Caverns and the like. But so far I haven’t so much as seen a hint of their presence.”

“Okay.” Sadie drew the one word out, frowning. “Is that a bad thing?”

Percy paused. “Maybe? I dunno. It’s just… strange.”

They were reaching the end of the cave complex; the increasing roar of the falls forcing their tour guide, Sally, to speak up as she explained that the falls were so named for the way the natural light of small vent pockets illuminated the iron within the walls. When he entered the falls, Percy saw, firsthand, how that name had so easily stuck. The typically barren rock formations were  _ glowing _ with a deep amber hue. Minerals in the natural formations gleaming in the low light like… well, rubies.

And smack in the center was the falls itself. Water cascaded down the back of the room, endlessly pouring from a crevice at the top of the cavern and into a large pool of standing liquid. The younger members of the tour group had rushed to the edge where a small railing had been erected. In total disregard for the “Please do NOT touch the water” sign attached to the barrier, the little tykes reached through the gaps in the bars, small fingers stretched to their max towards the lip of the pool. Percy envied their innocence.

A sharp inhale drew the demigods attention, and he turned to see Sadie’s eyes blown wide. “It’s here?” He prompted.

“Oh, it’s here alright.” The magician confirmed, eyes scanning the walls with an almost entranced look in their sapphire depths. “The amount of warding…” Sadie nodded. “This is the place.”

Percy inspected the room again with a more critical eye. Now if  _ he _ were a magical truth coin, where would he hide? The demigod’s gaze snapped over at the flash of a camera. A young couple were posed before the falls while their friend snapped another photo with his cell phone camera. A furrow appeared between Percy’s brow as the flash went off again, the water reflecting some of the light. But something else glinted deeper within the falls. He stepped closer to the pool, squinting into the heart of the water where the falls met the pool.

“Sadie!” The Son of Poseidon waved her over with a hurried whisper. “Look- there!”

The magician followed his pointed finger, sucking in a quick breath through her nose when she spotted what he’d seen. The disk was distorted by the continuous waves from the falls, the entire coin roughly the size of Percy’s fist.

The demigod couldn’t avoid grinning smugly at the younger Kane. “See? Told you all you needed to do was make a wish and toss it into the falls.”

“Whatever.” Sadie huffed. “Just do your waterbending thing and let’s get out of here.”

“It’s not waterben- oh, nevermind.” Percy glanced around, ensuring that no one was looking directly at them before slowly stretching his hand over the pool of water. He willed the water to swirl around the coin. The waves discreetly maneuvering the disk towards his hand.

Nothing happened.

Percy frowned, concentrating harder on the water, trying to feel the rush of the falls in his veins. Sadie’s head swiveled between his hand and the coin, a furrow growing between her brows. After a minute, the demigod dropped the appendage.

“It’s not working.”

The younger girl blinked at him. “What do you mean it’s ‘not working’?”

“I told you there was something strange about this place.” The demigod said. “The water’s not responding to my commands.”

Percy wasn’t about to admit it out loud, but the unease from earlier had grown into a gnawing nervousness and was quickly giving way to fear. The last time he hadn’t been able to access his powers, he’d almost drowned. For someone who was quite used to breathing underwater, the experience had been… unsettling, to say the least.

“Just grab it.”

“What?” Percy shot her an incredulous look, then glanced at the warning sign. “I’ll get in trouble.”

Sadie snorted, “What are you, ten? Who cares!”

“Then you go get it.” The Son of Poseidon challenged.

“You’re the waterproof one.” The magician pointed out, folding her arms defiantly.

Percy sighed. “Let’s just wait for the tour group to leave. Then we’ll grab the coin and go.”

And so they waited, lingering in a recess of the cavern where the light wasn’t as dazzling. As the other occupants slowly filtered out, the demigod had the familiar sixth sense that someone was watching them. He raised his head, only to find two children- twins, he realized, with matching white dresses and shoulder-length auburn hair- staring from across the chamber. Percy shuddered under their unblinking gaze: gods he hated being right. Sooner than he would’ve liked, the room was empty; save for the demigod, the magician, and the two children.

Sadie had noticed the unusual inhabitants as well, hand sliding casually into her pocket where the tip of her ivory wand was peeking out. When the twins began making their way to the middle of the room, Percy couldn’t help but to mimic the action, drawing confort from the feel of Riptide in his palm.

“Perseus Jackson.” The brunettes spoke simultaneously, but their voice echoed slightly different through the caverns. After two or three repetitions of their words they were a cadence instead of synchronized. 

“Oh  _ wow _ that’s creepy.” Percy muttered.

Sadie looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Your name is  _ Perseus _ ?”

Percy shot her a dark look before returning his attention to the girls. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“That is true.” The one on the left nodded. “I am Aletheia-”

“-and I am Veritas.” The other concluded.

Percy studied the twins for a moment, noting the differences in their outfits. They were subtle- Veritas’ white dress sporting gold lining around the sleeves that matched the golden belt, while Aletheias’ was cinched with a woven leather chord, the sleeves cut at a slight angle. The later’s reminded Percy of the Greek chiton dress Annabeth wore once during a special event in camp. And, man, had she looked  _ smokin _ ’ hot in the age old style; her hair all done up in curls with a delicate bronze headband-

The demigod shook his head sharply, returning from the digression to instead focus on the girls. “So, which of you is the goddess of truth?”

“There can be more than one truth.” Aletheia intoned.

Sadie frowned. “What in  _ Ra _ is that supposed to mean?”

The twins turned to face her as she spoke, their multicolored eyes narrowing suspiciously. The one on the left spoke first, “And you are…. Sadie-”

“-Kane.” Veritas finished. “Interesting…”

“You’re not from the same pantheon, are you?” Percy realized.

Varitas cocked an eyebrow- an expression that the demigod found incredibly strange to see on a child’s face. “You are indeed perceptive. Why have you come here? This is no mere coincidence, you being in our residence.”

“We’re looking for something.” The demigod confirmed. “A coin of truth.”

The goddesses smiled, sharing a look between them. “More have come for a Fidelity Coin.” Aletheia murmured. “Come to play the game.” Veritas giggled.

“Game? What game.” Sadie’s voice had taken on an annoyed tone. “We’ve had a really long week and, personally, I’m not in a gaming mood.”

Veritas pouted, chubby cheeks inflating as she blew out a breath. “You must play the game to earn the coin. Even the other one knew that much.”

“What other one?” Percy’s brows furrowed.

Waving a hand dismissively, Aletheia rolled her eyes. “Many come for the coins, we do not remember them all.”

“She speaks truth.” Veritas agreed, barreling over Sadie’s noise of protest. “As you must do to gain the Fidelity Coin. Now,” The predatory gaze of the child roved over them, the look sending shivers down Percy’s spine. “Which will play?”

“I will.”

“Me.”

Both teenagers spoke simultaneously before exchanging a look. “We’ll do it together.” Percy spoke deliberately, still looking at Sadie. The magician hesitated for half a second before nodding in agreement. “We’ll both play your game.” She confirmed.

“Two volunteers?” Aletheia turned to the other goddess.

“What fun!” Veritas responded, smiling in such a way that sent a chill down Percy’s spine.

“Before we begin, I need to know,” Percy spoke up. “What kind of game are we talking about here? Rock-Paper-Scissors? Or like Monopoly, because there’s a big difference there.”

“Nothing quite so mundane.” Aletheia denied with a shake of her head. “We shall play Truth or Die. We will each ask only one question, and if we deem the answer truthful, then the coin is yours. Our questions will cut to the core of who you are; revealing to us your true nature and intentions.”

“As there are two of you playing,” The twins spoke in tandem. “You will both vouch for one side of the coin.” Veritas extended her hand, the same circular disk that had been under the falls now pinched between her small fingers. The faces of the coin were barren, only a smooth metal surface glinting in the low light of the cavern. “If we deem your answer to be truthful, we shall imbue the coin with our power.”

“And if you deem it not-truth?” Sadie asked, looking to the closer goddess.

“Then you will be punished.” Veritas answered, elaborating with, “Possibly painfully. Most likely resulting in death.”

Why was it always death? Why couldn’t they just have him clean their gift shop or something? He should’ve just jumped in and snatched the gods forsaken coin, consequences be damned. But no. Instead Percy had insisted on being discreet. That was mistake number two. It wasn’t like they had been in a particular hurry- Leo was still fixing up their ride so they weren’t in any rush. And since there was no present danger, the demigod had attempted patience (for the first and last time).

Sadie looked like she was tempted to dare the god to follow through on that threat, so Percy cleared his throat. “I’m ready, I guess.” 

The goddesses turned to him expectantly. “Go on and ask then.” Their voices rang loud in the empty chamber.

Percy blinked. “...I thought you were asking the questions.”

“Oh we will.” Aletheia smiled.

“But you get to ask yours first.” Veritas explained. “It would be rude of us to potentially kill you without first allowing you to have your questions answered.”

“I’m not following you.” The demigod admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Why do I get to ask questions again?”

“Like we said, we each get to ask one question of the others.” Aletheia clapped her hands together and nodded. “And there’s your first answer. Do you know your second question?” 

Percy groaned. If Annabeth were here she would have murdered him for wasting such a prime opportunity to gain knowledge. He took his time on the second one (all of two and a half minutes) before settling on one that had been plaguing his thoughts since London.

“Will what Latoya foretold come to pass?”

Veritas considered him for a moment, eyes boring deep into the demigod with an inhuman intensity. Percy shifted uncomfortably, not just because she was a god but because meeting her gaze felt like staring down the labyrinth. Like beyond the corner was an infinite series of twists and trails that could trap anyone foolish enough to go down them. 

“Perhaps.” the Roman goddess answered slowly. “Perhaps not. There are many paths the future can take, none of which are unchangeable. The Soothsayer did not ‘know’ any more any could. Though I am sure she believed what she spoke was truth, others would disagree.” Her gaze finally stopped boring into him, and the demigod released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Having used up his two questions, the goddesses turned to Sadie. 

The magician was only watching him, though. “What did she foretell?” Sadie asked him suspiciously.

Percy looked at the goddess a moment longer, then said, “What was convenient to her goal, it sounds like. If you want details instead of the gist then ask Carter.”

“Fine.” Sadie grumbled, turning from the demigod. “Don’t tell me. I’m ready to ask my two questions anyway.”

“Your one question.” Veritas corrected.

The younger Kane frowned. “One? I thought we each got two?”

“You already used one of yours.” The Roman goddess pointed out. “You asked ‘and if you deem it not-truth’ to which I said a painful punishment.”

Sadie sputtered for a moment. “That- I wasn’t- I didn’t know we were playing the game already! That shouldn’t have counted!”

The twins shrugged noncommittally. “Those are the rules.” They said.

The magician opened her mouth as if she were about to argue with the immortal beings, then seemed to think better of it, jaw snapping shut with a huff. “Okay then, I’ll ask my  _ one _ question.” Sadie looked at Aletheia, her gaze firm and unyielding. “What is the current condition of my brother?”

Percy’s eyebrows rose. He felt a stab of guilt about not asking about his girlfriend, but then again, Reyna had told him she was fine. On the other hand, the Preator hadn’t been able to relay much about Carter’s condition other than he wasn’t dead. Yet.

“Awake.” Aletheia smiled, as if the one word had conveyed every tidbit of information in the world.

Sadie was silent for a beat. “That’s it? Awake?”

Aletheia bobbed her head up and down. “Uh-huh! Your brother is awake.”

The magicians face was quickly turning the same shade as the walls of the cave. “Is he hurt? Is he coherent? Is he stranded somewhere? Is he  _ okay? _ ” Sadie’s voice had grown in volume until she was shouting. “I ask you about his condition and all you can tell me is that he’s  _ awake! _ ”

“That was your question.” Aletheia pointed out. “And I answered.”

“You call  _ that _ an answer!”

“Sadie,” Percy stepped towards the younger girl. “I’m sure Carter is alright-”

“You don’t know that.” Sadie’s voice was dangerously low, causing the demigod to hesitate. Behind a thin gloss of moisture, Percy could see the anger in the magicians eyes, but even more so he noticed the anguish. The fear of not knowing.

“Maybe not.” Percy admitted. “But I have to believe that he is. Carter’s a tough kid, y’know.” Sadie glared at the floor, biting the inside of her cheek. Then she nodded in agreement.

“I know my question!” Aletheia said with abrupt cheerfulness, apparently unaffected by the previous mood as she turned her attention from Sadie to Percy. The goddess then studied him for a long moment, eyes narrowed as she tapped her chin. Percy swallowed, his mind conjuring all sorts of hypothetical questions he might be asked. The majority of which did not have great responses. “Alright!” The goddess declared after another minute had passed. “I have my question.”

Percy braced himself.

“How do you feel about Annabeth Chase?”

“W-what?” Percy sputtered. “I love her, obviously! She’s my girlfriend! My amazing, smart, beautiful, strong,  _ perfect _ girlfriend!”

The words echoed in the cave and he blushed at how hopelessly gooey he sounded while Sadie snickered.

Aletheia beamed at him. “Okay! I believe you.”

Percy stared dubiously at the goddess. “That’s it?”

“That’s it!” Aletheia parroted with amusement. “You revealed your true feelings, so I’m more than satisfied with your answer.”

“My turn.” Veritas stepped forwards, not giving the demigod time to ponder over the others words. “My question is this: Where do your loyalties lie?”

“I’m… not sure I understand the question.”

“You are a Greek demigod,” Veritas explained. “One who has friends within the Roman camp, and now you are here with a mage of the Egyptian pantheon. Where. Do. Your. Loyalties. Lie?” The goddess asked again, her words punctuated and staccato.

Percy frowned. Which side  _ was _ he on? Sure, he was the Son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea; that made him loyal to his friends back at Camp Half-Blood. But throughout his years he’d made friends with the children of Roman gods as well, and even now he was entangled with a whole new side of the world he’d never thought existed. Despite the fact that they weren’t  _ ‘his’ _ people, Percy still found himself truly compassionate towards them, loyal to the companionship and support they’d given to him.

“I’m not loyal to any pantheon.” His words echoed around the small chamber. “I’m loyal to my friends: my  _ family _ .”

Veritas pursed her lips, remaining silent. Then she nodded. “I am satisfied with your answer.”

The two goddesses overlapped their palms above one face of the coin, the plain, circular metal shimmering until the front half of the drachma was visible. The imprinted design appearing as solid as if it had been there all along. Veritas and Aletheia turned their gaze upon the magician, Sadie fidgeting uncomfortably under the twins stare. Percy flashed her a double thumbs up, mouthing ‘piece of cake’ as Aletheia stepped forwards.

“Sadie Kane, hmmm?” The Greek goddess tilted her head contemplatively, observing the magician like she had the demigod. “I wonder.... Are you envious of your brother?”

“Of course n-” Sadie cut herself off at the last moment, biting off what sounded like a reflexive answer. She bit her lip before letting out a long sigh. “How could I  _ not _ be. He’s kind, and strong; not to mention  _ ridiculously _ smart and somewhat clever at times. Carter got to travel around the world with Dad while I went to Sunday school back home. Of  _ course _ I envy him.”

The magicians voice softened at the end, before her sapphire eyes abruptly snapped up to meet Percy’s. “Don’t you  _ dare _ tell him I said that! He’d be a mess of- of guilt a-and pity, and brotherly _ ugh- _ ness all in one!”

Aletheia giggled, drawing the teens attention. “Truer words have never been spoken. I am pleased with your answer, Eye of Isis.”

Sadie reeled back at the title. “How did you-”

“And now for my question.” Veritas interrupted, eyes narrowing at the younger Kane. “My query is as follows: If offered the choice, would you once again take up the mantle of Isis?”

The magician didn’t answer immediately. And while Percy didn’t fully understand the meaning of the question, he figured it must have been serious from the younger girls expression- or, rather, lack thereof. Sadie’s face had become an emotionless mask, her usually expressive features now flat and monotonous. It was a long while before the silence was broken.

“No.”

“Not even to save your brother?”

Percy head whipped over to stare at the Roman goddess. Veritas’ lips were curled upwards in a smirk. Sadie closed her eyes, took a deep breath, the reopened them. She looked the goddess in the eye and repeated the word.

“No.”

A deep rumble reverberated through the cave. Veritas leaning back with an air of victory. “I don’t believe you.”

The falls roared behind them.  _ Actually _ roared.

Percy spun on his heels, just in time to see a flash of blue before something slammed into him, throwing him across the cavern. The demigod hit the ground hard, the air exploding from his lungs. Somewhere to his left he heard Sadie shout his name, her voice taking on a panicked note.

The demigod lifted his head, only for his ADHD to kick in as he rolled out of the way of a second attack. The movement brought him closer to the center and he transformed the dodge into a standing motion, uncapping Riptide as he did.

At the sight of the celestial bronze, the water dragon roared again.

An elemental. Of course. Percy mentally berated himself for not realizing it sooner. The lack of nymphs and dryads, his ineffective powers- it all made sense.

The demigod wasn’t given much time to scold himself, the dragon lunging forwards, liquid maw open wide. Percy danced to the side, swinging his sword in an upwards arc. The blade sizzled upon touching the water, but met no other resistance and the demigod stumbled forwards. The dragon twisted around with a snarl, a forepaw swiping out with stunning speed. Percy raised Riptide but his reaction was too late-

“ _ N’dah _ !”

A golden dome appeared around Percy, materializing just before the elemental’s claw could shred the demigod’s torso. The dragon’s head swiveled to stare at Sadie for a long moment before it returned it’s attention to the demigod.

“Oh, c’mon!” Percy whined, redying his blade as The dragon's claws began digging into the magical barrier. “Why do I get all the attention? I promise I do  _ not _ taste like chicken!”

“Lies tend to harm others more than they harm ourselves.” Veritas said.

“But I wasn’t lying!” Sadie insisted.

Percy could hear the frown in the goddess word. “You were not speaking truth either.”

“That makes no sense!” Sadie yelled.

That’s all Percy heard before the barrier shattered. The demigod yelled defiantly, meeting the elemental head-on. Riptide sunk deep into the side of the dragon as it’s massive mouth clamped down on Percy’s shoulder and upper arm. The demigod cried out in pain. The things’ teeth were like  _ icicles _ , sharp and freezing cold. Mustering every ounce of strength he had, the Son of Poseidon  _ pushed _ against the water, willing his powers to work.

But the watery form of the dragon only rippled slightly.

Great, how was he supposed to kill this thing?

Apparently, his attempt to control the elementals body only infuriated it and the dragon reared back, ripping the sword from Percy’s grasp as it did so. With no powers and no weapon, the Son of Poseidon found himself staring down the beast as it roared triumphantly. Percy prepared himself as the dragon bunched it’s hind legs, his only chance would be to dodge and try and get Riptide back somehow-

“Argh-  _ fine! _ ” Sadie shouted from the other side of the room. “You want the  _ truth _ ?”

As soon as that last word had left the magician’s mouth, it was like someone had pressed the rewind button. The elemental ceased its attack mid-stroke, retreating back to the pool of the fountain where it melded back into the falls. As fast as it had began, it was over. The only thing convincing the demigod that the brief battle had actually happened was his still throbbing shoulder.

Sadie swallowed before speaking. “Yes. If it meant saving Carter, I  _ would _ want to use the power of Isis. After everything and everyone we’ve lost I  _ can’t _ lose him too. I just… can’t.” Her voice broke on the word and she bowed her head, purple-tinged locks forming a curtain around her face. At her side, the younger Kane’s hands curled into fists and she looked back up, an uncharacteristic intensity to her gaze as she stared down the goddesses.

“But I wasn’t lying. The Path of the Gods… it’s tempting. All of that power, all of that raw magical energy at your fingertips? It was indescribably hard to give it up. But we had to. Because that kind of absolute control can corrupt. We’ve seen it happen, we  _ know _ what kind of influence it can have on your mind.” Sadie paused for a moment, her conviction wavering slightly. “The truth is, if it was Carter’s life on the line… I’m not sure I’d be strong enough to say no. I hope I’d be smart enough, or clever enough to find another way. But I sure as hell wouldn’t say yes without first exhausting every available option.”

Percy had never witnessed a more intense staredown. Veritas’ face gave nothing away, her gaze unyielding as she absorbed the younger Kane’s words. Sadie wasn’t close to backing down either, her own sapphire eyes blazing with stubborness as if she was daring the goddess to deny what she’d said.

Eventually, Veritas dipped her head. “That, I can believe.” She held out the coin, both sides of the disk now imprinted with the normal markings of a drachma. “You have passed our test, Sadie Kane,” her eyes slipped over to Percy, “ and Perseus Jackson. The coin is yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Aww... Sadie really DOES care. And Annabeth would TOTALLY kill Percy is she found out he wasted a question, so we just wont tell her that ;)
> 
> Reviews and comments give me life! Feel free to let me know what you think (good or bad) down below. And thanks to everyone who left kudos!
> 
> Until tomorrow!  
> <3


	28. Rooftop Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Annabeth reunite, Zia and Carter reunite, and both Hallmark moments are overshadowed by a certain mechanic and his newly revived metal dragon.
> 
> Or: Carter and Annabeth make it to the Brooklyn House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Tuesday! Halloween is just around the corner and I am SO ready for the discounted candy the day after.
> 
> This chapter has probably one of my favorite scenes because Leo without Festus is like macaroni without cheese. It always makes me happy for the mechanic to get his buddy back- I'm a bleeding heart for them <3
> 
> Alright, enough of my sap. Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Carter POV)**

I stepped out of the shower with a grateful sigh, reaching for the fluffy brown towel hanging on the wall hook. Much as I’d wanted to soak under the hot water for another hour, when it started getting noticeably less hot the rational side of me realized I’d probably been in there for too long. As if to emphasize the point, a deep rumble reverberated through the bronze walls (celestial bronze, actually, as Annabeth had so kindly pointed out earlier) of the ship.

“Okay, okay.” I grumbled, scrubbing my hair with the towel. “I’ll be up in a minute. It’s not like we’re being attacked by sphinxes or anything.”

The ship clacked again, seemingly in response to my mental meanderings.

“Oh, ha-ha.” I said dryly, amending my earlier statement: A talking, _comedic_ mechanical dragon. “You’re about as funny as your builder.”

A pleased whirring of gears reached my ears as the voice of the animatronic faded. Ever since we’d gotten airborne the dragon had become noticeably more talkative (if the grinding of gears and firing of pistons could count as a form of communication).

Gods my life was weird. Given everything I’d been through in the past four years, the talking mechanical dragon that I alone seemed to be able to understand could be considered normal. It was baffling how the mastheads presence permeated the entire ship. No matter where I was on the Argo III, Festus could always hear me and I him. I assumed it must have something to do with the internal magic of the Greek trireme, but that was only a hypothesis.

I shook my head, stray water droplets splattering on the mirror. I had more questions than answers, and I wouldn’t be any closer to finding them if I stayed in the bathroom. I stepped into the room- the same one I’d been assigned at the start of the trip- grabbing the extra set of jeans that I’d been given and slipping the thick fabric on. Unlike the T-shirt, the pants were decently comfortable; the denim was flexible, but tough. Unlike my normally fibrous dress pants. The shirt would have to go, though. I tossed the purple article aside, rummaging through one of the bags I’d initially brought for a white, short sleeved, cotton dress shirt.

Another rumble vibrated through the hull of my room as I slipped the strap of my satchel over my head, the noise sounding more urgent this time than the previous amusement.

“I’m coming.” I reassured the masthead, closing the door behind me and making my way up to the top deck.

There was a light breeze across the bow, and I took a second to look out over the vast expanse of sky spread out before me. The airy blue hues were punctuated by thin wisps of pearl clouds, gently traipsing along above the ship. Below, the ground was a blur of greens and browns, occasionally broken by a stray river or lake that refused to be covered by the forest canopy.

Annabeth was at the helm, eyes squinting at something on the console, a curious finger poised above a panel of buttons.

“Festus says you shouldn’t touch that.” I said, cresting the top of the stairs. “Something about probably throwing off his autopilot steering if you do.”

The demigod started guiltily. “I was just looking for a label.” She protested, despite the fact that (like Sadie always does) she’d been looking by using her hands.

We were insanely lucky that the animatronic dragon masthead, despite how annoying I found him, was fairly good at piloting itself. Annabeth was using a compass because the onboard GPS had blown a fuse, but, as she pointed out, it would be pretty hard to miss the Manhattan skyline. 

She’d used her celestial daggers- plural, because I’d still refused to take back the one that had been transformed from Sadie’s wand- as a paperweight against the winds; holding the paper map in place on the console. As soon as Festus learned where Leo was, our problems had morphed from ‘how do we get to Brooklyn’ into, ‘make sure we’re not left behind’. I’d barely had a moment to grab my magician’s bag from Hazel before we were off.

The Daughter of Athena withdrew the offending appendage, giving me a once-over. “You look… comfortable.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Thanks? I think.”

“I mean,” Annabeth waved a hand. “You look less tense, more relaxed. Comfortable.”

“Oh.” Well that was certainly true. After figuring out that the portal imbalance was the reason for my depleted reserves, my heart had stuttered at the realization that Sadie must’ve been in a similar state. Shortly after we’d left the relative safety of Camp Jupiter, I’d given Walt a quick call and learned that Sadie was more-or-less fully recovered from the portal fiasco.

“So this Brooklyn House is _actually_ in Brooklyn?” Annabeth’s question brought me back to the present.

I nodded. “What else would we call it? The _Jupiter_ House? _Camp_ Brooklyn?”

Annabeth chuckled. “Just doesn’t seem very inconspicuous.”

“It’s not supposed to be.” I replied, leaning up against the rail. “We _want_ new initiates to be able to find us, before magicians like Setne find _them_.”

“You mean there are rogue magicians?” The demigod frowned. “I thought you had to be trained to use magic.”

“Most do… we don’t.” I said slowly, tapping on the wood railing with my fingers. I could see Annabeth's confusion at my cryptic answer, but I had only paused for a moment. Despite my sisters doubts, I was absolutely certain we could trust these demigods. And that meant telling them the truth; the _whole_ truth.

I took a deep breath. “Most people learn how to access magic through study and practice. That’s true.” I began, casting my gaze out over the bow. “Others are born with the ability; like genetic genes that are passed down in families. Sadie, Walt, Zia, myself- all of us at the Twenty First nome- have what is called the Blood of the Pharaohs.”

“Kings Blood?” Annabeth interrupted sounding surprised. “You’re descended from royalty?”

“Not ‘kings blood’, Blood of the- oh, nevermind.” I dismissed the linguistics issue. “But essentially, yes. All of us are the great great great great and so on grandchildren of the Pharaohs of Egypt. This makes our magic much more potent than regular rank and file magicians, and it means we are able to host gods.”

The demigod tilted her head thoughtfully. “That’s the ‘eye’ thing you were talking about earlier, right?”

“Right. Being an ‘eye’ for a god means you merge with them, allow them to access your magic in certain situations.” I paused. “Historically speaking, magicians who became Eyes of the Egyptian Gods were corrupted by power. Setne is a prime example.”

Annabeth’s expression morphed into something I couldn’t identify but was nonetheless intense. Her gaze unfocused as if she was trying to imagine a particularly difficult puzzle. I shifted uncomfortably under the stare of those storm-grey eyes, clearing my throat before continuing with the story.

“Things came to a head when some of the Eyes tried to assert their power over the Nomes…” I shook my head sadly. “It was a bloodbath. The House of Life won, but barely, and ever since then the practice of merging with the Egyptian deities has been banned; magicians were no longer allowed to follow the Path of the Gods. And thus, order was maintained for two thousand years.” I quirked a smile. “Until my dad blew up the rosetta stone, that is.”

“Not the most convincing argument for reinstating this Path of the Gods thing, I’d assume.” Annabeth concurred, offering me a small smile of her own. The intensity had faded from her eyes, and for a moment, I wondered if maybe I’d just imagined the strange look.

“No kidding.” I blew out a breath, then decided to change the subject. As much as I wanted to be open about our world, there was no need to tell the demigod my whole life story. “What about you guy? What’s the deal with these camps? Percy said that your ‘camp’ place isn’t the kind where you make friendship bracelets and sing kumbaya.”

“I probably would have been bored to death at a place like that.” Annabeth huffed, rolling her eyes to the heavens. “The camps are just a sort-of safe haven where we train; but more importantly it’s somewhere we demigods can actually relax because it’s safe. Camp Half Blood is different from the Roman camp, by the way. We have cabins and a fire pit, volleyball courts and a giant rock-climbing wall that spews lava on the harder sections.” She paused, then amended, “I guess calling it a ‘camp’ wasn’t far off the mark after all.”

Interesting; it sounded like demigods were under a constant threat outside of the camp. Which only begged the question, “What makes it safe?”

“Well, for us-” Annabeth gestured to herself before clarifying. “Greeks, that is, not Romans- our camp has a magical border created by this huge pine tree gifted to us from Zeus, which is sustained by the golden fleece and guarded by a dragon named Peleus. But before that, I’ve heard that Hephaestus had created a mechanical dragon to protect the camps boundaries; one that went crazy after about fifteen years and got itself lost in the woods.”

At that, Festus creaked in annoyance. His head twisted around as far as it could (which was only about sixty degrees) and he blew out a puff of steam, red polycarbonate eyes appearing to glint in the mid-afternoon light as he glared at Annabeth. Some choice words about the Daughter of Athena reaching my ears before I had fully absorbed what Annabeth was saying.

“You?” I whirled to stare at the mechanical masthead at the other end of the ship. “ _You_ used to be a full dragon! What happened?”

The answer came in the form of more indignant whirrs and clicks. Something about a short-circuit, faulty wiring, and a bunch of other mechanical techno jargon that made absolutely no sense to me. The only thing I was able to discern was that, basically, Festus had had a poor mechanic maintaining him before he’d gone ‘crazy’. I held up my hands in surrender.

“Okay, I get it- not your fault.” I turned back to Annabeth while Festus cooled off (Literally. I could still see heat distortion above the masthead). “Let me make sure I’m hearing this right- your super secret camp is protected by a tree… and a blanket?”

“ _And_ a dragon.” The Daughter of Athena pointed out. “That’s a very important part of the protection.”

The mechanical masthead snorted out a small burst of flame, the prideful clicking of gears agreeing with Annabeth’s assessment of the importance of the dragon. Still, I couldn’t help but imagine a place out in the middle of the woods, with rows of cabins and other camp-like amenities, that was protected from monsters and other nasties by a tree with a blanket.

Annabeth and I fell into a comfortable sort of silence after that, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Personally, I was running through every possible outcome of reuniting with Zia. Sure, we hadn’t been dating for as long as Sadie and Walt, but we were still together; and the fact that I had left her behind (intentionally or not) was bound to have some repercussions. Not that Zia was anything like my sister (a fact that I thank the gods every day for): Zia’s anger raged bright and hot, and Ra help anyone on the receiving end of that anger, but it burned away just as quickly as it flared up. She was never really one to hold a grudge for long, that is, not unless she was truly, royally pissed.

I cycled through all of the hypothetical situations, imagining what to say when we finally saw each other again. I considered a simple apology, then a lengthy explanation. Each mental conversation I played out in my mind was worse than the last, and all too soon the Manhattan skyline could be seen in the distance, growing steadily closer.

The Brooklyn House came into being quickly, the tall mansion sticking out like a sore thumb as it towered over the metal in the surrounding scrapyard. As the Argo III descended towards the top of the building, I could make out several small somethings gathered next to the stairwell entrance.

Several small somethings that turned out to be Percy, Zia, Sadie, and Walt.

Festus clicked in confusion as he began the landing sequence, wondering where Leo was. I didn’t have an answer for him as we settled gently on the rooftop. By the time Annabeth and I had made it down the gangplank, the others had come forwards to meet us.

As soon as he laid eyes on Annabeth, Percy raced forwards, scooping up the blonde and twirling her around in a full circle. It was something straight out of a Hallmark movie, the way his hand carded through her hair as they kissed, the way their bodies were practically sharing the same space. Then they broke apart only to crush each other again in a tight hug, the demigods speaking in low tones to one another in a private moment.

And then there was Zia. My eyes shifted as the fire elementalist stalked forwards, mouth pressed in a tight line. Before I could even begin to stumble through one of my many preplanned apologies, her arm drew back and snapped forwards. Her punch landed squarely on my right shoulder, causing me to yelp in a very un-manly way.

“Ow!”

“ _That’s_ for leaving me behind.” Zia scolded.

She moved again and I shut my eyes reflexively, fully prepared for a repeat of the action on my other shoulder. I was pleasantly surprised when, instead of the sharp jab, I felt instead the soft flesh of her lips against mine. I blinked in shock at the kiss before leaning into the embrace, my arms snaking around her midriff and holding her close. I don’t know how long we stayed like that; seconds? Minutes? But when Zia ended the moment, leaning back without fully breaking my hold, and smiled at me, I knew all was forgiven.

“And _that_ ,” she said softly. “Was for coming back to me in one piece.”

I returned the smile. “I could get used to that.”

Festus clicked rapidly in annoyance, interrupting the moment as the animatronic once again asking where his mechanic was.

Before I could answer, the stairway door swung open to admit the demigod in question. Leo- with Felix at his heels- was wiping down a box-end wrench with a rag, speaking to the youngest magician as he walked towards everyone, “-which should fix that oscillation problem.”

Festus _roared_.

Everyone on the rooftop jumped. Zia, Sadie, Walt, Cleo, Felix, and even Percy were staring in shock, open-mouthed, at the dragon masthead. Leo had frozen too, but for an entirely different reason.

There was the metallic clang as the wrench slipped from Leo’s grip, clattering to the floor, forgotten. The mechanic stood, rooted to the spot, eyes blown wide and hands trembling as he simply _stared_ at the living animatronic. There was a beat of silence as the hispanic demigod struggled to draw breath. And then…

“ _FESTUS!!!_ ”

The one word was torn from Leo’s throat, both syllables overflowing with emotion as the demigod pushed past Annabeth and Percy; practically leaping onto the lower portion of the metal masthead. Festus lowered it’s head as far as it could, the snout of the animatronic dragon just barely able to nuzzle into the crook of Leo’s shoulder. The rudder swung rapidly from side to side in what I assumed was the dragon-ship’s equivalent of an excited tail-wag.

“You’re _back!_ ” Leo choked out, sniffing loudly as he reached a hand up and around the bronze horns. “You came back. I- I missed you so, _so_ much, buddy.”

Tears ran unhindered down the demigods mocha cheeks. A deep rumbling originated from the depths of the ships hull, a sound that was both consoling and joyus all at once. Festus tugged on Leo’s jacket playfully, a rapid whirring of gears seeming to reassure the demigod that yes, this was real.

“But- but how?” The mechanic asked a little breathlessly, swiping at his eyes before letting them roam across the ship. “I thought…” He shook his head, then looked between the masthead and Annabeth, likely waiting for one of them to explain.

“Reyna had him fixed up.” The Daughter of Athena eventually supplied.

“Well then, they can’t have done _that_ good of a job.” Leo huffed, despite his unwaveringly huge smile. “Never give a Greek’s job to a Roman, am I right, buddy?”

He patted the hull of the ship near the masthead which clicked in agreement. The mechanic started walking around the ship, tsking when he saw a grass mark on one of the oars. He pulled out a polishing rag and began rubbing at the spot viciously, muttering about how the Romans couldn’t even clean up properly.

If I didn’t know any better I would’ve _sworn_ that Festus’ smile grew wider while his mechanic fussed about.

“Well,” Sadie cleared her throat, ignoring Leo’s continuing examination. “I have a question as well,” she turned, clearly addressing it to Annabeth. “Where’s my brother?”

Annabeth looked just as confused as I felt. “Um…” I frowned, lifting a hand from Zia to wave it over my head. “Sadie, I’m right here.”

“Nope.” My sister shook her head, purple tinged locks swinging to and fro. A smirk tugged at her lips. “The Carter I know wouldn’t be caught _dead_ wearing denim.”

I glanced down at the jeans I had on, feeling my cheeks flush slightly. “They’re comfortable.” I countered.

Sadie gaped at me for a moment. “ _Un_ believable.” She muttered, whirling back to Annabeth. “Tell me how you did it.”

The demigod raised an eyebrow. “Did what?”

“I have been trying to get him to stop wearing those… those _eyesores_ he calls pants for _years_. How did you do it?” Sadie asked again. “Tell me your secret.”

“There wasn’t much of a choice,” Annabeth shrugged. “They didn’t have dress pants at the camp so Carter got either jeans, basketball shorts, or nothing at all.”

My sister nodded as if the older teens answer held everything she’d needed to hear. “Burn his clothes. Got it.”

Her sapphire gaze slid over to Zia who immediately shook her head. “No, I won’t. And if you even _think_ about it I will incinerate every pair of combat boots you own.”

Sadie’s face paled. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I think she would.” Percy piped up, a smile in his voice as he watched the exchange.

As my sister sputtered in indignation, I let go of Zia, walking over and enveloping my sister in a hug. Sadie stiffened for half a second before she relaxed, her own spindly arms reciprocating the embrace.

“I missed you too.” I told her quietly.

“Miss you?” Sadie snorted. “It was actually quiet for once with you gone.” But despite the annoyed tone she made no move to let go. “You’re really okay, though?” She asked softly. “Like, honestly okay? Don’t even bother trying to lie because we both know you’re terrible at fibbing.”

“Yeah,” I interrupted her ramblings. “I’m okay. You?”

“Me?” Sadie pulled back, ending the moment. The cocky smirk returned. “What, you think an exploding portal is gonna take me out?”

“It almost did.” Percy said, speaking up for the second time.

“Shut up, beachboy.” Sadie snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

Percy blanched while his girlfriend failed to stifle a laugh. “... _Beachboy?_ ”

“How did I not think of that one!” Leo berated himself with a mock slap upside the head, having ceased his inspection although he remained within arms reach of the masthead. Festus responded by clacking at varying lengths.

For once, I had to agree with the dragon, chuckling despite myself while the mechanic rolled his eyes.

“He makes a good point.” I admitted aloud. As soon as the words left my mouth I was instantly aware of five pairs of eyes swiveling to stare at me. There was a mixture of confusion and shock in the looks and I shifted under their gazes. “...what?”

Leo was the first to speak. “You can… understand Festus?”

Oh, that. The mechanic’s question reminded me that communication with the animatronic was apparently exclusively limited to him and I as of now. I reached up with one hand to rub the back of my neck. “That’s… kind of complicated.”

Percy shared a look with Annabeth. “Sounds like we missed out on a lot.”

The Daughter of Athena nodded. “You could say that. Nevertheless, we should probably bring you all up to speed before we leave.”

That caught Zia’s attention, the fire elementalist snapping her gaze over to the demigods and back at me. “Leave? To where? You only just got back.”

“We know where Setne will be tonight.” I answered, “It’ll be our best chance to get the Book of Thoth. And besides,” I added. “We need to stop him before he does… well, whatever he plans on doing I can’t imagine it being anything good.”

“You’re right about that.” Something in the way Sadie was agreeing with me sent a shiver down my spine (and no, it wasn’t just because my sister was saying that I was right- although that was a surprise in it of itself). I sent her a questioning look. She sighed. “Yeah... we have a lot of catching up to do.”

Leo waved us off. “You guys go ahead, I’m gonna stay up here with Festus and give him a full ops check. We want you in tip-top shape when we go kick this voodoo creep to kingdom come!” He said to the animatronic, leaning against the shi and rubbing the hull with the palm of his hand. “Yes we do,” He crooned in a voice normally reserved for talking to babies or dogs. “Who’s gonna be the meanest dragon in the sky? _You_ are.”

Surprisingly, Festus didn’t seem to mind the childish tone, his elated demeanor holding steady as the oars shifted happily.

“Let’s give these two lovebirds some privacy.” Annabeth teased lightly, tipping her head towards the stairwell.

Following her cue, the rest of us made our way down to the Great Room, settling onto the plush, wraparound leather couch. Percy and Annabeth situated themselves in the center, the former resting his arm easily around his girlfriend's shoulder. The Daughter of Athena relaxed into the embrace, a soft smile highlighting her features. Zia and I were to their right, reclining on the sofa. Zia was gripping my hand strong enough to cut off circulation; pulling it into her lap so I had no choice but to lean my shoulder on hers for the duration of the conversation (As if you’re one to judge, Sadie- this is nothing compared to the PDA of you and Walt. Well of _course_ I wanted to kiss her but not in front of everyone!).

I was glad to see that Sadie had gotten over whatever relationship-issues she’d been having with Walt. The two of them sat on the other end of the couch, my sister’s hand linked through Walt’s forearm as she began explaining what had transpired while we were gone.

I listened with rapt attention to Sadie’s recap. Percy and Walt occasionally took up the mantle, and even Zia shared her side of the story when they got to the part about taking down the Muses’ Library.

“You _controlled_ Greek fire?” Annabeth said when Zia finished speaking, sounded equal parts disbelieving and impressed.

Zia shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah. Although I wouldn’t have _had_ to control it if Leo had done a better job of distracting the muses.”

“Really?” Percy frowned. “He’s usually pretty good at that stuff.”

“Almost as good as you.” The Daughter of Athena teased, nudging him playfully with her elbow.

“It might’ve had something to do with the fact that he was supposed to say ‘ _taerif nafsak bila mawt waqawiat mithl alaliha_ ’ but instead of ‘ _alaliha_ ’ he said ‘ _aladawda_ ’.”

Sadie guaffed in amusement and I chuckled at the mispronunciation. No wonder the gods had seen through the ploy. Percy and Annabeth shared a perplexed glance and it reminded me that the demigods didn’t speak Ancient Egyptian.

“He was supposed to say ‘Know that I am deathless and strong as the gods’,” I explained. “But what he _actually_ said was ‘Know that I am deathless and strong as the worm’.”

Percy snorted while his girlfriend sighed, shaking her head slowly. “I’ve heard more intimidating threats made with a pink sandal.” Annabeth commented, the statement sending Percy into a fresh round of very unmanly giggles.

I myself was impressed. Taking on four minor goddesses and _winning_ was an incredible achievement. I leaned in closer to Zia, whispering, “Have I told you that you’re absolutely _amazing_?”

I felt her hum in thought. “Well, not recently, no.” She smiled slightly. “You could stand to do it more often.”

Sadie shared her revelation about Setne’s attempts to mix magic as well as her own thoughts on the matter, describing in vague detail how she and Percy had retrieved the Fidelity Coin from the goddesses of truth. I frowned at the lack of specifics- usually Sadie’s retellings were incredibly vivid. But the thought was fleeting, the majority of my focus remaining instead on the theory she’d proposed.

“That might be just what we need,” I leaned forwards, careful not to let go of Zia’s hand in the process. “It’s risky, but Setne won’t be expecting it, and if we can figure out the proper balance… it might just work.”

Walt quirked an eyebrow while Sadie beamed smugly. “What do you mean, ‘proper balance’?” He asked.

My eyes flickered over to Annabeth. “I guess it’s our turn to share.”

She nodded in agreement, and after taking a moment to collect her thoughts, launched into a recount of our time in Camp Jupiter. Seeing as I had been out of commision for most of the time, I let Annabeth do most of the talking.

“You created a new spell?” Zia queried, looking at me with raised eyebrows.

“Eh,” I wavered my hand back and forth, “more like I reworded one to suit our purpose.”

“Still,” Sadie commented, her eyes oddly interested with inspecting her nails. “It takes considerable talent to rework a spell from its original intent.”

I grinned at her, taking my turn to look smug. “Are you admitting that I’m better than you?”

“Of course not!” She responded instantly. “Just that- that…”

“That you’re a bigger nerd than Annabeth, apparently.” Percy offered with a grin. “She’d told us how much of a bookworm you were, but…” He shrugged suggestively.

“Exactly!” Sadie continued the train of thought, shooting the demigod a grateful glance. “Rewording a spell is a whole new level of geekiness, Carter.”

My eyes darted between the two of them, flabbergasted. Were they… were they _teaming up_ on me?

Annabeth cleared her throat. “Anyhow,” She continued, “Frank and I made our way downtown. We found Ihy at… a… bar. I think.” She shook her head while Percy glanced down in concern.

“You think?” He parroted.

“There was something off about the place though.” Annabeth kept speaking, ignoring her boyfriends question. “Neither of us can really remember much about the specifics, but long story short, we got Hathors secret name and learned that Setne would be at the Eternal Flame Falls tonight: _With_ the Book of Thought.”

“Thoth.” Sadie and I simultaneously corrected her.

“This Ihy guy just… gave you the name?” Percy frowned. “Sounds almost _too_ easy. You know what I mean?”

“I do.” I said with a shrug. “But, as Annabeth put it, don’t look a gift pegasi in the mouth.”

“Precisely.” The Daughter of Athena agreed enthusiastically. “Besides, he said that Hathor on a rampage would be bad for business…” The blondes brows furrowed briefly. “At least I- I’m pretty sure he said that.”

Percy was regarding his girlfriend with something more than concern now. “We should probably have Jaz take a look at your head before we go.” He advised.

“I’m fine, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth insisted.

“It couldn’t hurt. Jaz is our best healer,” I vouched. “Besides, I need to grab some things before we leave anyway.” I stood, having to practically pry my hand from Zia’s ironclad grip. “Reconvene on the roof in an hour?”

There were nods all around the couch and my chest tightened with anticipation. We had accomplished so much: retrieved Hathors secret name, acquired the Fidelity Coin, and soon we would have the Book of Thoth in our possession once more. Even though we were closing in on our target, I couldn’t help but feel like this was just the beginning.

The beginning of the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> And here we are, entering the final stage of the story! Still a fair amount of chapters to go, but the end is near. Hard to believe it took me almost 2 years to fully complete this fanfiction, but hey- I think it was worth it (Y'all get to be spoiled with my updates since it was already completed when I started updating to AO3, but the readers on ff.net had to suffer through my sporadic schedule).
> 
> Big thanks to those who review and leave kudos! See you all again on Thursday!  
> <3


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo is brought up to speed, Zia has never played Pokémon, and Carter explains a theory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Friday eve! (Aka Thursday)
> 
> The weekend is almost here... the Halloween candy is about to go on sale... I can taste the discounts!!!!
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Leo POV)**

Leo still couldn’t believe it.

Festus was back:  _ actually  _ back from his lifeless state. Leo hadn’t the faintest of clues as to how the dragon had managed to come alive, nor did he really care at the moment. He was too ecstatic about his reunion with his best friend, and promptly celebrated by cleaning every bit of grime that dared marr Festus’s finer gearwork. 

That explosion had really been something- there was a piece of a broken torsion stud that had even managed to wedge itself deep into the inner cogs of the rudder. Leo had to twist and turn in a particularly uncomfortable manner to reach it, and emerged with as much grease and grime on himself as sweat. The demigod barely had time to rinse himself off in a shower before Festus told him-  _ Festus told him!-  _ that the rest of the group was coming back.

Leo made his way towards the deck, still euphoric that he could finally talk to the mechanical dragon again. He would never admit it aloud, but flying the Argo III without Festus’ presence was tragically lonely. The Son of Hephaestus had dearly missed the whirring and creaking of his friend’s voice- and to have it back was like Christmas coming early.

Percy and Annabeth were the first to return to the roof, both of the demigods looking refreshed and ready for another night of good old-fashioned monster fighting. Annabeth nodded to him while Percy flashed him a quick smile and a thumbs up, to which the Son of Hephaestus reciprocated. They hung back by the stairwell, watching as Sadie and Walt made their way to the bottom of the gangplank. The two magicians stopped at the bottom, sharing a kiss and pulling each other into a long embrace.

Walt stepped back first, holding Sadie at arms length. “Be careful. I mean it this time.”

“You too.” Sadie smirked. “Don’t have too much fun without us, yeah?”

“No promises.”

Sadie’s ascent onto the deck of the Argo III was closely followed by Carter. Zia approached with her boyfriend, and Leo silently gagged at the idea of watching another doting couple say their goodbyes. So it was a surprise when the fire elementalist didn’t stop at the bottom of the ramp, but rather placed a sneakered foot onto the celestial bronze incline. By the time the two crested the side of the ship, Leo had found his voice again.

“She’s coming?” He asked, eyes darted over to Carter questioningly.

“I’m coming.” Zia was the one to answer, her tone brokering no room for argument and her gaze hardening like steel.

The demigod smartly chose not to argue the point, raising his hands in surrender and allowing a wide grin to crease his face. “Hey, I’m not complaining! The more the merrier: welcome aboard, Torchic!”

Zia’s fiery determination petered out at the nickname, her brows pinching with genuine confusion. “What did you just call me?”

_ No… way. _ Leo was speechless (and that didn’t happen often). _ Had she never played Pokemon? _

Carter understood the reference, chuckling lightly at the comparison. Apparently it was the wrong move, as Zia’s thunderous gaze shifted to him.

“ _ What _ did he call me?” She demanded in a low voice.

“It’s… uh, actually, I’ll tell you later.”

The elementalists’ eyes narrowed a fraction, muttering, “You’d better,” before making her way over to where Sadie and the other two Greeks were standing. Sadie looked up at the black-haired girl, waving her over and leading her down below deck.

Only once the door was securely shut behind the girls did Leo release the breath he’d been holding. “I thought she was gonna bite my head off! Your girlfriend is scary, dude. But, seriously,  _ why _ is she coming again?”

Carter shot him an incredulous look. “Weren’t you listening? It’s all part of the-” The magician stopped, mid-sentence, realization dawning as he groaned, “-plan. Which you haven’t heard yet, because you weren’t inside with us when we were making it.”

“... There’s a plan?”

“There’s  _ always _ a plan, Leo.” Annabeth commented, having moved close enough to overhear the conversation.

The Son of Hephaestus shrugged. “Point. But… let’s be honest, blondie, when was the last time any of our plans actually  _ worked _ ?”

“Trust me.” Carter’s voice was resolute in his conviction. “This one will work.”

Leo very much so doubted it would. Then again, having some semblance of a plan going into a big fight was better than not having one. “If you say so.” Leo sighed. “Let’s hear it then, Magic Man- how are we going to defeat Evil Elvis?

It wasn’t a good plan.

Rephrase- it was a solid plan, Leo just didn’t  _ like _ the plan.

Nevertheless, a few minutes after Festus got airborne, they divided into their groups. Carter and Percy moved towards the center of the deck, each boy drawing their weapon of choice and falling into an easy sparring routine. Sadie and Annabeth hung back by the control panel, deep in conversation, the younger blonde moving her hands animatedly as she spoke while the elder nodded thoughtfully.

“I don’t see how this is going to help.” The Son of Hephaestus grumbled, wanting nothing more than to be at the helm, piloting his baby. Instead, he was standing by the bow of the ship with a certain hotheaded elementalist.

Zia looked even less pleased by the situation, arms folded angrily over her chest as she scowled at him. “Carter explained that it’s all about the balance.”

“Yeah, but,” Leo gestured aimlessly with a hand. “Your fire magic thing and my demigod abilities are  _ nothing _ alike. It’d be like trying to mix 100-low-lead gasoline and engine oil. They don’t go together at all.” He elaborated at the magician’s confused expression.

“We don’t know that until we try.” Zia countered, “Now stop making excuses and show me what you’ve got.”

She proceeded to take a step back, waiting and watching expectantly. Leo sighed in resignation, then he took a deep breath and concentrated. Focused on the spark of fire that resided within him. He stoked it carefully, feeling flames instantly licking at the inside of his palms and dance through his hair. Blowing out a slow breath, Leo held out his hands, palms up, and encouraged the small flame to grow by tapping into the power ever so slightly.

The fire expanded rapidly, growing quickly to the size of a basketball before Leo was able to pull back a bit, attention laser focused on controlling his ability so that the flames didn’t get out of control. It was a difficult task, almost like he was trying to defuse a bomb with his eyes closed. If he didn’t give the flame enough energy, it would peter out; but if he allowed too much to seep out the fire would become uncontrollable.

A few minutes passed before Leo let the flame die out, sighing with relief once it had dissipated. He felt pretty pleased with himself. Usually when he tried to make a fireball his powers ended up bursting out in an explosive wave of flames.

Zia had the opposite expression, looking for all the world like Leo had offended her somehow. “That’s it?” She asked once it became clear Leo was done.

Leo blinked at her. “Um… yes?”

“That was  _ pathetic! _ You call that controlling fire?”

The Hispanic felt his cheeks warm with embarrassment and he rubbed his arm. Dimly he heard Festus creak in anger, proclaiming that his mechanic was  _ not _ pathetic and that the Egyptian mage had no idea what she was talking about.

“Well, yeah, I mean- I don’t really- I can’t-” Leo stammered, eventually finding the right phrasing. “Every time I try and control my power it kinda goes wild, so...”

“That’s because you’re  _ trying  _ to control it.” Zia stated. Leo frowned. It seemed obvious to him, but wasn’t the idea of controlling fire to…  _ control _ it? He asked as much, to which Zia sighed and shook her head, reaching up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. “It is, but it isn’t.”

_ Well that certainly cleared things up _ . “What do you mean?” Leo asked.

“Great, looks like it’s back to the basics.” The elementalist grumbled, taking a deep breath before speaking. “The founding principle of  _ any _ elemental-based magic is that you do not control the element. You  _ can’t _ control it. You are merely guiding it’s way. Think of it like this,” Zia explained. “Can you control the flow of a river? Can you control the movement of the earth? Or the direction of the winds?”

Leo thought back to Jason and Percy’s impressive display of powers back in Topeka. “Actually-”

“No.” Zia interrupted. “You can’t. At least, not entirely.” The elementalist conjured up a fireball, easily holding it in her hand as if it were a baseball. Oh, how Leo wished his abilities came as easy to him as it did to the Egyptian elementalist. “Take fire, for example; it’s wild, unpredictable. I can’t change that about the element. I can’t stop it from doing what it’s meant to do, but I  _ can _ manipulate it.”

Zia raised her other hand, concentrating on the sphere of flames. The fire grew- elongating until she was holding a spear of flames. “I changed its shape, but the basic qualities of the element remain.” She lectured.

It was true. Even though it was no longer a ball of fire, the flames of the spear weren’t contained: the edges of its form still danced in the wind, whipping around her hand wildly and licking into the air. It was still a fire. Leo was entranced by the revelation, listening attentively, eyes wide.

“It’s the same with the other elements.” Zia continued. “A water elementalist may be able to redirect the flow of the water, a wind mage might be able to alter the flow of the air currents, but neither is ‘controlling’ it.”

Once again, the demigod’s thoughts turned to his friends. When Jason had saved Piper at the Grand Canyon, his clothes had been buffeted by the winds swirling around them. And again when they’d fallen out of the sky, Jason’s ability had caused the air to slow their descent (both times). But it had still felt like wind; gusty and omni-directional wind.

Even when he himself used his pyrokinetic ability to weld sheets of celestial bronze together, it never felt like he was forcing the fire into an unnatural state. It always acted like a normal oxyacetylene torch when he worked, the demigod rarely having time to focus on the tool when making repairs. Now that he thought about it, his powers always responded the best when he wasn’t concentrating on them.

The Hispanic bobbed his head up and down. “I think I understand.”

“Good.” Zia extinguished the fire spear. “If you can’t grasp even this simple concept then you’ll never get your flames to do what you want. Now,” She placed her hands on her hips. “Let’s try that again.”

Leo dipped his head, holding out his hands with determination. He took another deep breath, about to reach for his powers when Zia interrupted his thoughts again.

“And- another thing- don’t hold your breath.”

Taking the critique for what it was, the Son of Hephaestus forced himself to breath normally for a moment before attempting to create a flame. This time, when he tapped into his ability, he focused on the shape he wanted the fire to take, rather than the amount of energy.

In response, a sphere of flames flickered to life above his open palm. Leo stared at the element, seeing it- really seeing it- for what it was for the first time. With the same mindset, he focused on shaping the fire, the flames elongating and widening until he was holding a small hammer made of flames. Leo concentrated on enlarging the tool, the handle growing until-

“Breathe!” Zia snapped.

He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath.

The command startled Leo out of his focus, and the fire hammer dispersed in a wave of warmth. Despite this, Leo couldn’t help but grin. “Did you see that!” He exclaimed excitedly. “That felt _ amazing _ ! I’ve never been able to do that before!”

Festus whirred happily, joining in on the demigod’s elation by declaring that his mechanic was absolutely incredible.

The elementalist looked less enthused, but she huffed lightly. “That’s much improved from your last attempt. But you’re still too tense, and you stopped breathing when you focused on the fire. Using your power has to come more naturally; feel more instinctive. But a fire club is a good choice to start.”

He felt himself droop at her words yet again. “I was trying for a hammer…” 

“...key word,” Zia looked up to the sky for patience. “Trying.”

“‘Kay,” Leo muttered, scrunching his face as he tried again. It was looking less like a lopsided club and more like the actual tool before he lost his focus, and he grinned at her. 

Zia was already holding out a water bottle for him; and once he was prompted, he realized just how thirsty he was (fire-proof didn’t mean the same thing as heat-proof) and the elementalist let him chug it as she said, “You’re getting the hang of it rather quickly. If you’d learned this a few years ago you might make a decent sparring partner.” 

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically between gulps, then stopped and looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Wait- that was an  _ actual  _ compliment? Thanks!” 

“I- you’re nowhere  _ near _ my level yet!” Zia huffed, sparks flying from her hand as she waved it for emphasis.

“But you think I  _ can  _ be! Someday.” Leo added with a grin, not sure why she was pulling out but never one to back down from some good, friendly ribbing. “Sounds like a compliment to me.” 

“Well it wasn’t.” The elementalist all but growled, pushing past the demigod and stomping her way towards the stairwell.

“Could’ve fooled me!” Leo called after her, chuckling even as she slammed the hatch to the staircase shut with a  _ clang _ .

A second voice joined in on the laughter. “Zia doesn’t praise people often- or ever if you ask her- but she gives credit where credit is due.” Carter commented from the helm.

“That so?” Leo looked up at the younger boy. He absently wondered when Carter and Annabeth had traded places, the Daughter of Athena and the younger magician nowhere in sight. Percy was gone too. “Where are the others?”

“They went below.” Carter answered, gesturing towards the staircase Zia had just disappeared down. “Sadie said something about, quote, ‘not wanting to smell like a gym before a battle’ which is just silly if you ask me.”

“I’m sure she didn’t.” Leo said with a smirk, ascending the short flight of steps to the top deck.

“Truer words have not been spoken.” The magician said solemnly, before cracking a grin of his own. Carter moved over, making room for the demigod to stand beside him at the control panel.

“How was your stick-whacking lesson?”

Carter raised an eyebrow. “Stick-whacking? You mean the sword practice?”

Leo shrugged, taking another sip of water. “Swords, sticks... same thing, really. How’d it go- did you beat Aquaman?”

Carter hummed thoughtfully, massaging his shoulder. “We weren’t really keeping score. It was more… informative. Our fighting styles are different, but the basic moves and stances are pretty similar. Percy’s fighting style is incredibly fluid- the way he transitions from one swing into the next…” The magicians voice trailed off as he shook his head in awe. “It’s unlike any of the Egyptian styles I’ve studied.”

It was perfectly fitting, Leo thought, that Percy’s techniques flowed like the water he controlled. As opposed to the Ares brutes who just tried to muscle out their opponents, the Son of Poseidon had always been very agile during fights; dancing around his enemies before landing a solid strike. Leo himself favored the unique style of hit-everything-around-you (he still held the record for Camp Half-Blood’s ‘Whack-a-Gnome’ competition).

“ And, for the record,” Carter added, drawing the demigod from his musings. “Swords and sticks- very different things.”

Leo huffed out a laugh. But before he could respond, Festus interjected with a string of clacks and clicks, informing them that the ship was roughly ten minutes out from the Eternal Flame Falls.

“Festus says we’re getting close.” Leo translated out of habit.

“I know.” Carter responded.

Oh... right. The magician could understand Festus now, too. “While we’re on the topic,” Leo began. “How, exactly, did they get him to turn on? No offense to the Romans, but I’d been working on Festus for the better part of four  _ months _ without so much as a flicker from his circuits. But the Romans spend two days with him and suddenly he’s back online?”

“The Romans didn’t do anything,” Carter said with confusion. “If anything they wanted to find a way to turn him off-”

“They  _ what? _ ” Leo balked. How dare they even  _ think _ about shutting down his baby!

“-as he kept blowing steam at them and demanding they bring you to him.” 

He felt a blush hiding behind his dark skin, and it only got worse when Festus growled out an assurance he would do so again; that his mechanic was the best and no other one could replace him.

“He’s like an extremely loyal dog,” Carter mused quietly, possibly hoping that the dragon wouldn’t hear him. “An extremely dangerous, flying, fire-breathing dog that was ready to burn the whole camp- uh, Legion- down to get to you.” 

“Dibs.” Leo muttered, realizing that having someone else able to hear Festus’s affection for him was actually really embarrassing. “If anyone’s gonna torch that camp it’ll be me. I can’t  _ believe _ they tried to turn you off!”

Festus whirred contentedly, saying how, even if they did manage to get him offline, he wouldn’t stay down for long. Which brought up another question in the demigod’s mind.

“Then, if not the Romans, what brought him back to life?”

Carter’s face scrunched up a bit. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think it had something to do with the errant magic from the botched portal. Current theory is that our magic,” He motioned between Leo and himself, “was fused together.”

“One problem.” Leo said. “I don’t  _ have _ magic.”

“It’s not really ‘magic’ in that sense.” Carter explained. “More like… your signature, if that makes sense?”

Leo’s mind flashed back to the boat ride with Walt and Zia, when he had smeared the pink goo on his eyelids: his body had been consumed by an orange conglomeration of Greek words and symbols. “You mean the colorful soup thing? Like how Percy’s is purple and Annabeth’s is blue- which still seems backwards to me, just saying.”

Carter nodded his head emphatically, drumming his fingers on the control panel. “Yeah, basically your signature got mixed together with my magic when we went through the portal. And that kick-started Festus, bringing him back to life. Festus might have even absorbed my excess energy- which would explain why a destabilized portal didn’t combust.”

“You’re saying the swirling sand vortex would’ve  _ exploded _ if not for Festus?”

“Maybe.” Then Carter cringed, adding. “Please don’t tell Percy- he already has this idea that everything magical goes ‘boom’.”

“It’s just a theory, though?” Leo asked.

The magician shrugged. “Only way to confirm it would be to do it all again, and see if Festus being ‘awake’ makes a difference. Flying snake, Big Ben, crashland- the whole caboodle.” 

“... Ya’know, I think I’m good.” 

“I thought as much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> And here... we... go- get ready for some action in the next few chapters because Setne is not gonna go down without a fight!!!
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who leaves comments and kudos! This has been an especially rough week for me so it’s been the highlight of my days to hear from y’all :)
> 
> Until Saturday!  
> <3


	30. The Eternal Flame Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle begins- and the Kanes aren't the only ones with a plan.
> 
> Or: Setne is smarter than he looks, and ten times as crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Six chapters left! The countdown begins, and so does the fighting! Strap in for some action- cuz these last few chapters are saturated with the stuff.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Zia POV)**

Sadie and Annabeth were in the middle of a discussion when I walked into the meeting room. Both girls were hunched over a half-dozen sheets of paper; many of which contained common Egyptian hieroglyph spells, mony others that were written in what I could only assume was the Greek alphabet. In the center was a small grouping of water bottles, two of which had already been open.

“-is pronounced ke-rah-noh,” The demigod was saying, sliding a finger along the bottom of one of the Greek words. “It literally means ‘to strike with lightning’.”

“Ooh… I like striking things with lightning bolts!” Sadie grinned, glancing up as the door swung shut behind me. “Hey, Zia. You and Leo are done already?”

Opting not to provide the obvious answer to that question, I instead turned to the demigod, swiping a water bottle from the table while asking, “Is he  _ always _ that insufferable?”

“Who, Leo?” Annabeth chuckled, appearing to know  _ exactly _ what I was referring to without needing a description of the events. “I’m afraid so. But then again, aren’t all boys?”

“Whoa there-” Sadie gaped at the older blond. “ _ Harsh _ . You do realize you’re including your boyfriend in that sentiment, right?”

Annabeth smiled fondly, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. “Oh, I’m very aware of that fact. Don’t misunderstand: I love the guy. But Percy can be a complete mess at times.” The demigod paused, then amended her statement. “Half the time. Most of the time, if I’m honest.”

“Wow,” Sadie looked impressed. “You  _ really _ don’t hold back. But I do have to agree with you, boys are notoriously insufferable. Except for Walt, of course.”

“And Carter.” I felt the need to add when it was clear the younger Kane wasn’t going to continue.

Sadie snorted. “Carter?  _ Puh _ -lease, he is the very  _ definition _ of insufferable. In fact, I’m ninety-seven percent sure they created that word specifically to describe him.”

“And you say  _ I’m _ harsh.” Annabeth muttered.

I shook my head, not bothering to try and contradict Sadie. The sibling banter wasn’t anything new to me- she and Carter traded insults and backhanded comments on a daily basis back at the Brooklyn House; even though they never put much heat behind the words.

That didnt mean I was going to let her get away with insulting my boyfriend.

“So everyone but Walt is insufferable?” I reaffirmed, waiting for the younger Kane to nod. I pursed my lips thoughtfully, saying, “Interesting… I’ll be sure to let Anubis know when we get back to the Nome.”

“W-what? Th-that’s not-” Sadie’s face flamed a deep red as she sputtered. “That’s not what I- It doesn’t count anyway, since he’s technically Walt.”

“Hang on…” The demigod glanced between us, a pinch between her brows as if she was trying to piece a mystery together. “Anubis is your god of death, right? Then are you saying Walt is a god?”

Sadie and I answered together.

“Yes.”

“No.” I sent a pointed look at the other magician. “Technically Walt is his own person, even if his body is hosting Anubis.”

Sadie opened her mouth to argue, but before she got the chance, the overhead speaker buzzed to life above us, Leo’s voice projecting into the room.

“Attention ladies and Percy, this is your captain speaking.” Leo’s voice crackled over the intercom, the low whistling of the wind audible under the words. “You may have noticed that we’ve activated the fasten seatbelt sign as we are beginning our final descent…” There was a short pause, then, “Also, you should probably come take a look at this.”

Sadie, Annabeth, and I exchanged a look.

“Does this ship even  _ have _ seatbelts?” I wondered aloud.

The other girls offered up noncommittal shrugs just as the ship jerked to the side. We were on our feet in an instant, filing out into the hallway and up the short flight of stairs. As we drew nearer to the top, my ears picked up a low, continual keening wail from the other side.

I pushed at the handles but the thick metal doors didn’t budge. I tried again, this time throwing all of my body weight into the stubborn entryway. The bronze hinges creaked in resistance, and then they nearly tore my arm off as they snapped open with surprising force. My hair whipped erratically in the wind, the eerie noise from before morphing into a full out howl as violent winds rolled over the deck of the ship.

Sadie and Annabeth stumbled up behind me, both of them bracing themselves against the gale. Sadie shouted something but the wind snatched her words away before I could hear them. The younger Kane pointed and my eyes followed.

_ Ra help us _ . My silent plea went unspoken (not like it would do us any good anyway).

Complete transparency here- I had never experienced a heavy tropical storm, let alone a hurricane. Sure, I saw them on the news occasionally. But I had grown up in the First Nome: in Egypt. The only weather phenomenon we concerned ourselves with were sandstorms and the occasional flood. What we were about to fly into looked like the biggest sandstorm I’d ever seen- only, instead of the wind riling up granules of fine sediment, entire  _ trees _ had been uprooted, swirling in a deadly dance with large chunks of rocks. This was no normal storm- I didn’t need to look into the Duat to determine that. The conical vortex originated from halfway up the base of the mountain range, extending well past the peak of the adjacent range.

From the direction the Argo III was pointed, I could only assume that our destination lie within the whirlwind.

“-adie!”

The broken call reached us and I turned, seeing Carter waving at us with one hand, the other clamped firmly on the guardrail next to the steering console. Leo was besides him, attention completely focused on fighting with the controls. The third demigod was clinging to the side rail, knuckles white on the metal bar as his sea-green eyes stared in absolute terror at the storm before us.

Another gust blasted over the deck, the force of the winds strong enough to send me stumbling back a step. It also pushed the Argo III further away from the center of the raging storm, and consequently, closer to one of the adjacent mountaintops.

“-t now!” Carter was yelling, gesturing at his sibling, then pointing to the center of the vortex before motioning around himself in a circle.

I had no idea what he was referring to, but- as I’d observed long ago with the Kanes- Sadie seemed to be able to read her brothers mind, nodding stoically and motioning to Annabeth. The demigod leaned down and Sadie spoke (read yelled) into her ear, the older blond’s eyes widening in understanding.

In tandem, they held out their hands, mouths moving soundlessly. I felt a strange tug at my senses, seeing a hieroglyph blaze a bright blue in front of Annabeth, the glyph N-dah for protection preparing to work. Then a series of silver symbols flickered into existence before Sadie as well, unfamiliar but holding steady in the wind until the spell was cast. 

But instead of a shimmering golden shield, there was a flash of light that forced me to throw a hand up. When the light faded, the first thing that my mind registered was that the howling of the cyclone had faded to a dull whisper. I lowered my hand, eyes slowly blinking open.

“That’s  _ awesome _ .” I heard Percy breathe in awe.

I had to agree.

The reason the noise of the storm now sounded like it was behind a thick pane of glass was because there was now a barrier of partially transparent blue and silver that calmly swirled in an enchanting pattern between us and the storm. The shield was different from the normal  _ N-dah _ spell; not only were the colors a stark variant from the typically golden dome, but the berth of the shield was far wider than any protection spell magicians could cast. Never had I seen a barrier spell extend past the immediate area of the caster- the larger the diameter of the dome, the more magical energy the magician expended. This… this one was  _ huge _ : easily encasing the entirety of the Greek ship.

“Good work you guys!” Carter encouraged from the quarterdeck. “Keep it up! Leo, bring us down.”

“Working on it.” The mechanic gritted out, hands flying over the controls as Festus ‘talked’ in his strange clicking language that only Leo and my boyfriend could understand. “Brace yourselves, we’re going in!”

The debris was impossible to dodge, but we needn’t have feared. The shield held strong: stronger than any spell I had ever witnessed in all my years in the Nome. Trees the size of stadium light posts and chunks of earth larger than garbage trucks slammed into the side of the silvery blue barrier, the shield barely rippling under the impacts. The winds still buffeted the ship, attempting to smash the Argo III into the side of the mountain, but Leo flipped some switches on the control panel and the ship jumped forwards, clearing the worst of the storm and emerging into a center of calm.

We set down shortly after, the ships oars retracting into the hull before a whirring noise grated over the sounds of the wind. Spiked rods shot out of the oar slots, penetrating into the ground and anchoring the ship to the mountainside.

“Alright, we’re good.” Leo concluded, speaking more to Carter than to the rest of us as he leaned back from the panel with a tired grin. “The Argo’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Drop the shield.” Carter called, and moments later, the enlarged barrier dissipated.

Sadie and Annabeth shared a grin and high-fived. “It  _ actually _ worked!” The former cheered.

“Well of course it did.” The taller blonde agreed; but despite the assured words, Annabeth appeared to be just as giddy about the success.

Percy stepped forwards, wrapping the female demigod in a hug. “You’re amazing, Wise Girl.”

“I know.”

I turned away from the PDA, instead looking around at the parking lot we now found ourselves occupying. Tall pine trees stretched out on the fringes of the clearing, leafy fingers flared outwards. There was also a small cabin to the side of a well-travelled trail, an upturned sign now pointed towards the sky, announcing that the falls were three miles up the trail. Leo had set the ship down in the fire zone (an irony I felt the need to smile at). A faded wooden sign hanging above the door read ‘ETERNAL FLAME FALLS: Visitor Entrance’. 

Now, as a fire elementalist, allow me to debunk the myth of eternal fire. There is no such thing. Period. Moving on. 

I was the last of us to disembark from the flying ship. Leo spoke softly to Festus as the dragon-ship retracted its gangplank with a short whirring of gears. Patting the mechanized beast on the maw twice, the fire demigod turned to the rest of the group.

“What now?” He asked, prompting the others to look at Carter for direction.

The older Kane met their gazes with his own, and Zia felt her heart swell with pride at the familiar resolute look in her boyfriend's eyes. “Now.” He answered. “We look for Setne. He’d be-”

_ CRACK! _

Carter was interrupted by a sharp snapping, the noise reverberating down from the apex of the mountainside. Six heads swiveled to stare at the mountain peak.

“Three guesses as to where he is?” Sadie remarked after a moment of silence, her lips curling into a smirk.

“Up it is.” Carter agreed, turning back and giving us all a tight smile. “Let’s go.”

Again, my heart surged with affection. I always enjoyed seeing Carter slip into his role as a leader. As much as his sister would try to deny it, the older Kane was a natural at it. A born leader. Confident, but not cocky. Determined, but not inflexible in his ways. And where he was lacking… well, that’s why he had me.

As we began the ascent, Sadie dashed in front of Carter, stopping a few feet up the trail and turning around to say, “Last one to the top does dishes for a week!”

“Wha- hey!” The older Kane protested as his sister dashed off. “I didn’t agree to that!” But nevertheless he took off after her.

And sometimes he was immensely childish. I heaved a sigh even as the demigods cracked grins.

“We shouldn’t let them get too far ahead.” Annabeth commented.

“Oh?” Percy’s smile grew wider. “Is that a challenge Wise Girl?”

“Eat my dust, Seaweed Brain.”

And without another word spoken the two demigods bolted, following the same route as the Kane siblings I gaped after them silently for a moment before muttering, “Children. They’re all children.”

Leo, the only one of our six person group left, looked at me and chuckled. “I mean, technically speaking, yes?”

My gaze narrowed. “I am  _ not _ racing you.” For some reason that seemed to amuse the mechanic even more, his laughter ringing through the trees.

“I wasn’t even going to suggest it.” He said eventually, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his eyes. “I know we’re in a hurry to stop Setne, but there’s no sense in tiring ourselves out before we get there. Besides, the falls are, what, two and a half miles away? Three? No way in Hades do they have enough stamina to keep that pace for that distance. Maybe one and a half if I’m being generous. Then again with this terrain....” Leo shrugged.

Even in the short amount of time I had known the demigod for, I was stunned by the change of personality. Gone was the joking tone and the wisecracking goofball attitude. Turns out the demigod did have a brain under that thick skull of his (deep  _ deep _ down). The way he rambled for a bit about the complexities of navigating the root-riddled ground and the difficulty of the inclined surface made him seem almost… intelligent.

The demigod rubbed his chin continuing to talk as if he hadn’t noticed my silence. “So who do you think will win? Annabeth will out last Percy- no contest there; Aquaman’s fast, but he’s not a distance runner. But what about the Kanes? Any bets?”

“Carter can pace himself better.” I replied, finally finding my voice. “But Sadie has energy to spare.”

As it so turned out, the others were able to make it a mile and three quarters of the way down the trail. And while Leo and I didn’t outright sprint, we did jog a fair amount of the way; all the while hearing the occasional sound of a commotion from the peak. Sadie looked up as we caught up to them, a smirk on her face.

“Guess you’re not last after all, brother dear.” She remarked.

I raised an eyebrow at the younger Kane. “I wasn’t last. He is.” I jerked my thumb over at Leo, who was two paces behind me.

“Hey-”

“We’re almost at the top.” Percy interrupted the mechanics protest. “No more splitting up until we get there.” I felt the need to point out that it wasn’t  _ my _ idea to sprint the distance. Then I swallowed the argument- we had more pressing matters to focus on.

“The sooner the better.” Annabeth agreed. “Something feels off about this place.”

“You noticed it too?” Percy looked up at her. “It’s that same feeling I got back at Ruby Falls- almost like all of the nymphs and satyrs have just… vanished.”

“Please tell me there’s not another elemental in these woods.” Sadie whined.

Percy shrugged noncommittally

“Hang on…” Carter raised a hand to silence him, a frown tugging at his lips. “Do you guys hear that?”

The only sounds that could be heard now was the rushing of the falls from up ahead. No longer did we hear the sounds of battle.

“Well that can’t be-”

“If you so much as  _ think _ of saying something along the lines of ‘not good’,” Percy interrupted, glaring at Carter. “I swear to the gods I will throw you down this mountain.”

We hurried the rest of the way in silence, reaching the peak in mere minutes. The six of us paused at the final bend, Carter turning and lowering his voice. “Everyone remembers the plan?” At the round of nods, the older Kane pulled Annabeth’s blue baseball cap from his bag. “Then let’s go.” Sadie, Annabeth and Carter began making their way around while Leo, Percy, and I rounded the corner, careful to stay out of sight as we crept towards the falls.

The Eternal Flame Falls was a beautiful cascade of the liquid element, the water rushing down the stone surface that had been smoothed away by years of wear. A small, shallow stream meandered along the ground between us and the other side. The ground on the far end of the falls was cleared away, scorch marks peppering the grass and surrounding trees. Lines had been drawn into the dirt, circles with hieroglyphs and letters from another language dotting the periphery.

Strutting back and forth in the middle of the strange circle (that very much resembled a classic protection circle) was the undead man himself, fully decked out in skinny black jeans, a powder blue dress shirt, and a black leather jacket with the collar flipped up. In one hand he had a thick book open, and in the other he was inspecting what looked like a clay cornucopia. Despite the howling winds, his greasy, pompadour hairdo remained stationary.

But what really drew my attention were the creatures prowling about the perimeter of the odd protection circle. They were a terrifying mix between a two-headed dog and a scorpion, with the heads of black labradors and the barbed tail of the sandcrawlers. Their twin sets of eyes glinted a blood red as the five of them circled, tails flickering back and forth.

“Manticores…” I heard Leo breathe out quietly.

“No.” Percy shook his head slightly, voice barely above a whisper. “Manticores have wings, and lion manes. Setne’s combining monsters again.”

“Great.” I muttered, trying to keep my voice at the same level as the demigods.

I was, apparently, not quiet enough. One of the scorpion-dogs’ ears pricked up, swiveling in our direction as it growled out a warning. It’s fellow hybrids turned at the noise, all five of them padding over to the edge of their side of the river, sniffing and snarling at where we remained concealed.

Before we could decide what to do, Setne called out, “Leave them!”

The dog-scorpion hybrids snarled one last time in our direction before loping back to the magician’s side. Setne finished his evaluation of the conical object, attention shifting as his beady eyes roved over the three of us, taking in our windswept hair and muddy clothes.

“Hi there!” Setne sounded much too casual and friendly for someone who was outnumbered by people holding weapons. “I was wondering when you’d show up. You must be the demigods.”

“And you must be Setne.” Percy responded in kind, stance shifting warily as he picked up on the unusually upbeat mannerisms of the enemy. In retrospect I realized that we should have warned him that on top of everything else Setne was certifiably  _ insane. _ I still remembered our trip to the Land of Demons, and was in no hurry to repeat the same mistakes. 

Leo seemed unperturbed, instead frowning at the all-powerful undead mage. “Where did you get that outfit? The Halloween Store?”

Setne hummed. “Look, nothing personal, kids, but I’m a little busy at the moment. I’m going to have to ask you guys to wait while I finish my incantation, okay?” He waved dismissively like we were literally toddlers interrupting a conference call. “One I’ve summoned the _deshret_ we can chat.”

I felt my face pale. The  _ deshret _ ? Why did he need that? Unless he planned to… but that would be  _ suicide _ (even for an undead magician)!

“Why is he trying to summon a dishrag?” Leo wondered, directing the question at me.

“The  _ deshret _ is the lower crown of Egypt.”

“Very good Zia Rashid!” Setne clapped mockingly before carefully extracting a stack of papers from the Duat. “I see you were paying attention in class. Iskander would be _so_ proud. Then again, maybe not- seeing as you _are_ working with the Kanes.”

My blood boiled at the words. How  _ dare _ this heathen speak the name of the former Chief Lector’s with such disrespect. “ _ Don’t. _ ” I growled, angling my staff. “Insult Iskander in front of me.”

Setne tisked with a disappointed look at the tip of the weapon I was aiming at his face. “Really, now, I’m just telling the truth. All those years he spent exiling the Path of the Gods, only to have his favorite student betray him by following the very line of magic he fought to destroy. And to think  _ you  _ would become the host of  _ Ra _ … why should I bother to sully his name, my dear.  _ You _ seem to be doing such a good job of it yourself.”

With a roar I drew back, a spell poised on my lips, but a hand grabbed my staff. My head snapped around to see Percy leveling a warning look in my direction.

“He’s trying to bait you.” The demigod said.

“Then he’s succeeding.” I snarled back. “Let go.”

That sick, nasally laugh cut through the air again. “Oh, don’t sound so surprised. After all,” A sinister grin split the undead magician’s lips. “I’m not the only one stalling for time, am I? Don’t you know it’s rude to sneak up on people, Carter?”

_ Crap _ .

Before we could react, he wheeled around, pointing behind him and shouting something that sounded like “ _ Vlepo-rabt! _ ” Symbols that were a mixture of hieroglyphs and Greek letters burned a bright red in the air where Setne had pointed.

Carter turned visible. He’d been creeping ever closer to the Elvis wannabe,  _ khopesh _ poised for a thrust, Annabeth’s blue Yankees cap slightly lopsided among his mop of hair. He blinked in shock, then lunged forwards, blade leveled at Setne’s chest.

Before it connected the symbols warped, twisting into helical strands and wrapping around the older Kane, pinning his arms and legs with such force that he toppled over, weapon jostled from his grip. Carter squelched as he hit the ground, the scorpion dogs growling at the new arrival, their barbed tails flicking back and forth.

“Invisibility magic.  _ Please _ . I’ve been using invisibility spells since the pyramids were under warranty.”

My heart hammered. This had not been part of the plan.

You know what? Screw the plan. No one was allowed to attack my boyfriend.

I yanked my staff from the demigod’s grip and charged. Behind me, I heard Percy calling my name but I didn’t halt. With a yell of defiance I shot a cone of fire at Setne. I’d like to say it worked; that the undead magician burned to a crisp where he stood, and the battle was won. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

One of the twin headed beasts turned and jumped in the way of the blast, maw open as it  _ inhaled _ my fire. I blinked in surprise. Not a fraction of a second later, the second dog’s mouth opened and a jet of flames-  _ my _ flames- was sent screaming back towards me. Still stunned from the shock of the counterattack, I had no time to dodge; my eyes widening as the burning orange filled my vision-

I stumbled back a step as a wave of water crashed down between me and the flames, the contrasting elements cancelling one another and filling the narrow field with steam. Shaking water droplets from my eyelashes, my head snapped back to watch as Percy lowered his arm.

“Rule number one: Don’t take the bait.” The demigod scolded simply. “And why didn’t you dodge?” 

“That was  _ my  _ fire,” I huffed, still a bit surprised my own magic had been turned against me. “I need to know how he did that.” 

“Mmm-hmm. Maybe try that from a  _ safe  _ distance next time, yeah?” Percy said, hefting his sword as the low growls of the scorpion dogs rumbled through the fog.

I mirrored the action, raising my staff defensively and squinting into the surrounding cloud of misty white. I could barely see the other demigods, let alone the enemy. A myriad of shifting shadows threw off my vision as my ears tried to pinpoint where the next attack would come from; but with the walled-in environment, every growl appeared to come from all directions. My grip tightened on my staff.

The only warning I got was a darkening of one of the shadows as a scorpion-dog lunged out of the mist, spittle flying from it’s opened maw. I stepped forwards, wedging my staff between the twin rows of fangs and levering the creature away with all of my strength.

It hit the ground with a yelp, regaining its feet and disappearing back into the cloud just before my flames scorched the ground where it had fell. I took a breath to calm my racing heart, repositioning myself and bracing for the next attack.

They went for Percy next. A mistake on their part.

From the way the demigod moved and struck, you wouldn’t think we were fighting in the blind. Percy stepped to the side at the last moment, slashing downwards as another dog bounded from the mist. His straight blade caught the monster square on the neck, golden liquid spilling from the wound as Percy twisted out of the way, just barely avoiding a second dog’s barbed tail that darted out from the fog. He slashed again, cleanly severing the tail of the first dog and transforming the motion into an uppercut that beheaded the other.

Both of the hybrids disintegrated into piles of sand.

“Save some for us, Aquaman!” Leo grinned, having taken out a large hammer from his tool belt.

“No promises.” Percy called back, flashing a triumphant smile.

A trio of howls reached my ears and Leo and I turned to the left to meet them. We waited, peering into the cloud. In my periphery, I saw that Percy was facing the opposite way, his weapon angled towards our right flank.

“There over here.” I hissed at him as a second round of snarls backed my statement.

But the demigod didn’t move, gaze laser focused on the fog in front of him. Then Percy stepped  _ into _ the fog, vanishing in the white cloud. I heard the whoosh of a blade cutting through air before the sickening squelch of the weapon striking flesh. A high pitched whine filled the air followed by a snarl.

The fog swirled as Percy darted back into sight, one of the remaining monsters at his heels. It’s tail snapped forwards, barbed tip striking nothing but air. Percy had rolled to the side, providing us with a clear shot of the creature. I raised my staff but Leo beat me to it- flinging out a hand and shooting a fireball from his palm. The mechanics aim was true, the ball of fire hitting the dog squarely in the face. I channeled a portion of my magic, encouraging the baseball sized flame to grow and consume the monster.

Its pained howl petered off as the hybrid dissolved.

“Four down.” Percy said, standing up from the ground. “One to go.”

The mist was beginning to thin, the vapors dampening my cotton outfit. Percy raised a hand, concentrating for a moment before flicking his wrist downwards. The fog fell, vapors condensing into small water droplets that rained down on the clearing.

My eyes snapped over to the demigod. If he had the ability to do that all along then… “Why didn’t you do that earlier?” I snapped.

Percy just shrugged, “Why give them the advantage of sight?”

I was about to bite back with the retort that it would’ve let  _ us  _ see as well when an amused laugh reached my ears. Turning, I saw that Setne hadn’t moved, hadn’t even tried to escape while we were in the blind. Instead, he had begun drawing a hieroglyph in the air, one that resembled an Egyptian  _ Naos _ : A shrine to the gods. The last scorpion-dog had retreated to its masters side, a low rumble of displeasure rippling from deep within it’s chest. Carter had managed to scoot towards us, still bound by whatever spell Setne had trapped him with.

“Very impressive, demigod!” The undead magician called without looking up. “You have control over the domain of water, so you used the water vapors to see in the fog. Clever indeed.” Cold eyes flicked up, a sinister grin splitting Setne’s face. “I must admit I didn’t imagine  _ you _ \- of all people- to be the tactician.”

The insult rolled off of the demigod’s shoulders as readied his stance. “You wouldn’t be the first to underestimate me. And you won't be the last.”

“Perhaps.” Setne mused, glancing down at the conical clay item in his hand with a frown. His sounded slightly upset as he said, “I had been hoping to save this for later. But I suppose now is as good a time as any to test it out.” The undead magician shrugged, flashing us a grin. “Do say hello to your dear old dad for me, Carter!”

Setne raised the clay cone, a Funerary Cone I recognized, a split second before a hieroglyph blazed in front of the open end of the funnel. It was a spell I knew all too well. And from the sheer amount power radiating off of the item…  I dashed forwards, placing myself between the magician and my friends as I called out a warning.

“Get down,  _ NOW! _ ” I shouted, praying to the gods that wherever Sadie and Annabeth were they had heard me. I braced myself as the magic exploded out from the cone, eager to fulfil its masters incantation.

Burn.

The onslaught of flames rolled outwards like waves from the open end. I met them head on, my hands extended outwards as if pushing against a wall. In a way I was- only this was a wall of flames, not stone: the magical fire stopping mere inches from my hands. I channeled my energy into repelling the fire from the others, grunting under the strain as Setne’s magic fought against mine. It felt like I was trying to hold back a freight train. Tongues of red and orange licked into the air, my feet slid back in the dirt as the magic continued to pour out of the cone.

There was no way Setne would be able to sustain this kind of spell for long. And yet, I still heard him chanting in the background, even as the fire fought against my will. It was almost… almost as if the flames had a mind of their own. A yell was torn from my throat as I was pushed back another step, losing the battle as the fire curled around the edges of my influence. I couldn’t hold them back alone.

“Leo!” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “Help!”

The demigod needed no further prompting, dashing forwards and mimicking my stance. Together we held our ground, but the fire was endless.

“We have to divert it!” Leo called. “Percy get Carter to our right! Zia- push it left on the count of three! One, two… now!”

I heaved, using every ounce of magical control I had over the element. With the demigod’s help we managed to do it- allowing the fire to slide by us on the left until the onslaught ended. As before, when the flames rolled over it’s opposite element a thick wave of steam clouded the clearing. Then the pressure disappeared and I pitched forwards, collapsing to my knees under a wave of dizziness. There was a thud to my left as Leo did the same, bracing his hands on the soft earth.

For a moment I remained there on the ground, panting from the exertion. “That’s… not,” I said between breaths, “how you count to three.”

A solid five seconds passed without a snarky response from the mechanic, and a spike of worry shot through me.

“Talk to me Flame Brain…” I called across the three foot cavern between us. “You okay?”

Silence, and then, “Flame…. Brain? Hahaha…. Haha.. ha… aww, you do care.” The demigod lifted his head, a tired grin flashing in my direction.

“Yeah well… don’t… get used… to it.” I blinked, raising a limp hand to swat at the black dots in my vision.

“Oh, I won’t.” Leo assured, his smile fading slightly. “Zia? Hey- Zia!”

I heard his voice as if from the end of a long tunnel, my own name sounding drawn out and echoey as the darkness swept over me. I tried to answer, tell him that I was perfectly fine but my mouth wouldn’t move. The last thing I heard was the soft thump of my body hitting the ground. Then everything faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Another elemental, eh? Interesting...  
> And a Zia POV??? What is this- viewpoint exploration hour? First Walt, then Hathor, and now Zia?!?!?!  
> Coming up next time... The Crown of Ptolemy! Only... with a bit of a different spin on it.
> 
> As always, I love hearing from you- yes, even guest readers! Feel free to drop a comment or a kudos, it makes me smile (like this ->) ^_^
> 
> See you on Monday!  
> <3


	31. The Crown of Ptolemy (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setne swallows a snake, the crocodile is not pleased, and Percy reveals his secret name
> 
> Or: My take on the Crown of Ptolemy story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I was so excited to finally post the next chapter of Leo's Logbook that I completely forgot I had another obligatory story to update. I'll be uploading two chapters here in a moment to make up for the horrendous beach in scheduling.
> 
> Y'know... Let's just call it intentional since this is a part 1 of 2 for the Crown of Ptolemy chapters- yeah, totally intentional...
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Percy POV)**

“ _ Mmeehh-muhhhh! _ ” The strangled sound worked its way past the red tendril covering Carter’s mouth as the elder Kane’s struggled against his bonds with a renewed energy. The kid’s eyes having blown wide after seeing his girlfriend collapse.

Percy spared a glance between the two magicians, trying to decide who he should help first. Leo made the decision for him, the hispanic scrambling over to the fire elementalist while Percy turned and began hacking at Carter’s bindings with Riptide.

His mind was racing as he pried at the red tendrils of energy.  _ Where were Annabeth and Sadie? _ They should’ve flanked the magician from behind while he was distracted. And the fact that they hadn’t… Percy swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat as he forced himself not to finish the sentence.  _ They’re fine _ . He told himself; even though the thought was less than convincing.

They had to be. Because if they weren’t...

Percy shook his head. He needed to focus: get Carter free, and then figure out what to do about Setne. He’d just managed to complete step one when the bindings blared like an air raid siren. The demigod’s ears popped, vision going black for a few moments. When the sound died and Percy’s vertigo faded, Setne was finished with his drawing, watching with that same, creepy grin of amusement on his face.

“The ropes scream if you cut them.” He advised. “I guess I should’ve mentioned that beforehand.”

“Zia!” Carter scrambled to his feet, blinking dazedly and completely ignoring Setne. “Is she…”

Leo offered up a tired smile. “She’s okay- just worn out.”

Rarely did Percy find himself being the responsible one, but as the others fretted over their fallen comrade (slash girlfriend, in the magicians case) Percy kept his gaze and weapon focused on Setne. He doubted their enemy was above stabbing them in the back. In return, the undead mage trailed his eyes slowly over the length of Riptide, maintaining his distance for now and merely waiting.

“What was that spell?” Percy didn’t look behind him as Carter joined his side, the elder Kane having reassured himself that Zia would pull through.

Setne hummed, stepping away from his hieroglyphic drawing and studying it with a critical eye as he said, “Well it’s certainly not an Egyptian spell. I may be the best magician in the known universe, but even  _ I _ would have a bit of trouble conjuring up that intensity of flames for such a prolonged time.”

Something clicked within Percy’s mind and he glanced around, noticing, for the first time, that something was missing. “The Eternal Flame…” Sea green eyes snapped to stare at the Elvis impersonator. “You harnessed the power of an elemental?”

He wasn’t sure whether to be scared or in awe. Probably both.

“Gods no.” Setne snorted. “Such power cannot be harnessed by mortals or magicians; or demigods, for that matter. I simply trapped it in this.” He raised the ceramic cone before tossing it aside.

“What’s that?” Percy frowned.

It was Carter who answered. “A funerary cone.” He shook his head in disbelief. “They’re containers used to hold the soul of pharaohs until they’ve passed on to the afterlife.”

“So how in Zeus did he manage to capture an elemental?”

“How should I know-”

“Would you children  _ please _ be quiet!” Setne snapped, sounding only mildly annoyed. “I am  _ trying _ to summon a god and your constant yapping is  _ not _ helping.”

Lightning flashed. The ground rumbled.

On Setne’s left, about fifteen feet from Percy, the charred grass suddenly split open. A geyser of flames (as if they needed an encore of what had just happened) spewed upwards and the last remaining scorpion-dog ran into it, mixing with the smattering of dirt and rain in a tornado of elements. The conglomeration merged and solidified into one huge shape that towered above the surrounding trees: a coiled cobra with a female head.

At first, Percy was confused. Medusa wasn’t a god.

Then he noticed the differences. Her reptilian hood was easily six feet across and her eyes glittered like rubies. A forked tongue flickered between her lips, and her dark hair (not snakes) was plated with gold. Resting on her head was a strange hat- like a red pillbox with a curlicue ornament on the front.

Now, personally, Percy was not fond of snakes. Never had been, never will be. Especially if said snakes are half-human and wearing stupid hats. If he’d summoned this thing (again, not that he ever would) Percy would just cast a spell to send it back, super quick.

But Setne just rolled up the scroll, slipped it into his jacket pocket, and grinned. “Awesome! Time to get this party started.”

Cobra-lady hissed in displeasure. “Who  _ dares _ summon me?” Her voice reverberated loudly against the stone-rimmed dell. “I am Wadjet, Queen of the Cobras, Protector of Lower Egypt, Eternal Mistress of-”

“I know!” Setne interrupted, clapping his hands and smiling. “I’m a huge fan! Love what you’ve done with your hair.”

The goddess bared her fangs. She sprayed Setne with a cloud of green mist- poison would be the Son of Poseidon's guess, because, y’know, snakes- but the magician repelled it like how Percy’s clothes repelled water.

“You must tell me what conditioner you use before I destroy you.” Setne continued, as if he hadn’t just been attacked by the Queen of the Cobras.

“ _ Destroy me? _ ” Wadjet’s forked tongue flickered. “I’d like to see you try, mortal.” She lashed out at Setne with her tail but the magician simply waved a hand and a sudden gust of rain and wind pushed her back.

“Not in a sharing mood, I see.” Setne pouted. “Very well, I guess I’ll have to search through your memories once I’ve devoured your essence. Hope you don’t mind.” A smile lit his face. “Hah-  _ mind _ . Get it? I believe that’s what the young people call a pun.”

The cobra goddess didn’t seem to care about that. “You want to  _ WHAT? _ ” Wadjet reared back again, fangs glinting in the light, but with another word from the magician the wind and rain restrained her like a seatbelt. Setne shouted something in a mixture of Egyptian and Ancient Greek. A few of the words Percy understood:  _ soul _ and  _ bind _ and possibly  _ butter _ (though he could be wrong about that last one). The cobra goddess began to writhe.

Then she imploded, making a noise that to Percy sounded like the world's largest straw finishing the world's largest milkshake. Wadjet was sucked into her own red hat along with a five-foot-wide circle of earth. The crown hovered for a split second before dropping into the smoking, muddy crater; the entire scene playing out in less than two minutes.

There was a moment of stunned silence as demigod and magician alike stared at the crater where the goddess had previously stood. Setne meandered over with a whistle, bending down to pick up the hat. The undead magician dusted some dirt off of the red headpiece, plopping the hat on top of his oiled hair and completely ruining his Elvis impersonation.

“What did you do to Wadjet?” Carter demanded, clearly shaken by whatever spell Setne had uttered.

“Hmm? Oh, my dear, ignorant Kane.” Setne tisked, tapping the curlicue at the front of the hat. “I simply devoured her essence. Now I have the power of Lower Egypt!”

“You… devoured a god.” Percy started with a frown. Was that even possible for a human (or, well, ghost) to do?

“Yep!” From his jacket he produced a leatherbound book and waggled it at us. From the way Carter stiffened Percy could only assume this was the infamous Book of Thoth the siblings kept referring to. “Amazing what kind of knowledge is in here. Ptolemy the First had the right idea, you know, making himself into a god. But by the time he became Pharaoh Egyptian magic had become weak and diluted. He definitely didn’t have access to the original source material. With this baby,” He tapped the cover of the journal. “I’m cooking with  _ spice _ !”

“All he needs now is the  _ hedjet _ .” Carter spoke quietly, but the undead magician nodded. He either had impeccable hearing for a dead man, or his senses were enhanced by magic. Percy’s bet was on the latter.

“You always  _ were _ the smart one.” Setne sneered at Carter, making the words sound like an insult. “Yes, the Crown of Ptolemy was split in half and entrusted to two different gods of upper and lower Egypt. But first, I’ll have to destroy you four. No hard feelings demigods; the Kanes have been a thorn in my side for far too long, but I bear no specific ill will towards you. However, I have found in my research that demigod blood is a wonderful magical catalyst! So, if you’d be so kind to hold still-”

Percy would do no such thing. Instead, he lunged forwards, jabbing Riptide right below Setne’s sternum.

Amazingly, the sword sunk in all the way up to the hilt. The Son of Poseidon so rarely succeeded on direct attacks that he just crouched there for a moment, stunned.

“Wow.” Setne looked down at the blood slowly seeping onto his powder-blue shirt. “Nice job.”

“Thanks?” This was beyond weird. “So… you can die now. If it’s not too much trouble.” Percy tried to yank his sword out but Riptide seemed to be stuck.

Setne smiled in an apologetic way. “About that… I’m beyond dying at this point.” He tapped the blade with a laugh. “Get it? This  _ point _ ? Oh, I do see the appeal of this pun business. I’m afraid all you can do is make me stronger.”

His red crown began to glow.

Not for the first time, Percy’s instincts saved his life. He stumbled back, grabbing Carter as Leo did the same with the unconscious Zia, both of them hauling the other as far from the magician as possible. Clouds of debris began to spin around the magician as if he’d become the new center of gravity. Trees were uprooted, water from the stream was pulled from the riverbed, and chunks of dirt broke free from the ground.

It took all of Percy’s strength to hold onto the elder Kane with one arm and grip the rough edges of the rock he’d lunged for with the other. Wood, stone, and water were absorbed into the magicians body in a chaotic mass until, with a sickly  _ pop, _ it all stopped.

Gravity returned to normal, and, after a second of recovering from the shock of seeing someone become a living black hole, Percy realized he’d left something important behind.

Riptide was gone. The wound in Setne’s chest having closed.

“HEY!” Percy got up, his legs shaking. “You ate my sword!”

His voice sounded shrill even to his own ears- like a little kid who’d just had his lunch money stolen. The thing was, Riptide was the demigod’s most prized possession. It had seen him through some tough scrapes. Percy had lost his sword on a few occasions, but it always reappeared in his pocket; he had a feeling that it wasn’t going to happen this time. Riptide-  _ Percy’s _ sword- had been…  _ consumed _ , sucked into the magicians body along with the dirt and the trees.

Setne turned his palms up. “Sorry about that. I’m a growing deity. I need my nutrition.” His voice trailed off and he tilted his head as if listening to someone. “ _ Percy Jackson _ .”

The way he said Percy’s name sent a shiver down his spine.

“Interesting,” beady black eyes flicked to the east. “And your friend- sorry,  _ girl _ friend, Annabeth Case. You two have had some interesting adventures. I do hope my pets haven’t killed her- she’d make a wonderful sacrifice.”

_ Pets? _ Percy’s blood ran cold with fear. Then boiled with rage as he ground out, “If you’ve hurt her…” he let the threat hang, hands curling into fists.

“You’ll what? Stab me?” Setne laughed. “You saw how well that worked. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have just one more thing I need to do to ascend to godhood.”

The magician spread his hands and began to chant, a string of Greek and Egyptian words sliding from his tongue. Percy locked eyes with his friends. He could tell they were thinking the same thing: they couldn’t let Setne summon and consume another god.

Carter nodded and summoned up his glowing blue chicken avatar while Percy channeled his energy into bending the river water up, shooting it towards Setne like a firehose. From behind them, Percy felt the heat as Leo summoned up one last fireball to lob at the magician. Setne didn’t even spare them a glance, merely snapping his fingers while his mouth moved through the spell’s incantation.

The result was instantaneous. The ground rolled beneath their feet, the earth surging up in an unnatural way until Percy was shoulders deep in sand; the sediment then solidified into rock, trapping the demigod in his own personal molehill. The river water he’d been commanding splashed harmlessly to the floor. Tendrils of dirt wound their way up Carter’s combat avatar, the elder Kane furiously trying to shake off the element with little success; and with one final tug the magic toppled the blue chicken, a dozen more bands shooting from the ground to pin down the giant figure.

Immobile as he was, Percy couldn’t see what had happened to Leo and Zia, but judging from the sounds of shock coming from the other demigod, Percy could assume it was something similar. The Son of Poseidon struggled against the restraint, but it was like trying to wriggle his way out of a cyclops’ grip.

Setne, on the other hand, merely sidestepped the fireball, completing his chant and snapping the book shut. The same miniature tornado as before began swirling before him.

“The  _ deshret _ crown was originally gifted to the pharaohs from the earth god Geb, you know.” The undead magician said conversationally, taking a small step away from the magic storm. “It can defend itself with some pretty cool earth magic!”

Percy gritted his teeth. He and Annabeth had recently done battle with Gaea, the Earth Mother. More dirt sorcery was the last thing he needed.

From the maelstrom a figure formed, fifteen feet tall and massively wide. A paneled kilt with metal borders stretched down to the knees, a wicked looking staff the size of a flagpole gripped in a clawed hand. It’s upper body was bare, save for a thick gold choker necklace dotted with small red gems. Above that… Percy’s eyes bulged at the sight of the elongated snout and green scaly skin, at the yellow slitted eyes that were much too far apart to be human. It was a crocodile: One far larger than The Phillip of Macedonia, with long black dreadlocks stemming from his head that were tied together in clumps of three with silver bands. A curved white hat similar to the red one from before sat perched on his crown.

Setne had summoned the god of reggae crocodiles.

“You!” The god snarled, pointed teeth showing as his upper lip curled.

“Me!” Setne agreed. “Wonderful to see you again, Sobek. Sorry we don’t have longer to chat, but I can’t keep these mortals pinned down forever. We’ll have to make this brief. The  _ hedjet _ , please.”

Sobek’s chest puffed out, the storm that encircled the area seeming to grow stronger as a steady drizzle began falling. “I do not yield to upstarts like you.” The crocodile’s voice was gruff and deep, yellow eyes narrowed. “I am the protector of the crown, the shield of the pharaoh, the-”

“Yes, yes,” Setne waved a dismissive hand. “But you’ve yielded to upstarts plenty of times before; why, the history of Egypt is basically a list of which upstarts you’ve yielded to. So enough with the noble facade, let’s have the crown.”

Percy had no idea that crocodiles could hiss, but Sobek did. The gods tail snapped back and forth, the drizzle turning into a downpour.

All around the clearing, Setne’s earth magic shattered. The tendrils of red sand fell to the ground with a loud  _ slosh _ , and suddenly the demigod could move again. Leo struggled to his feet and Carter stumbled to Percy’s side.

Setne didn’t seem concerned about us. Instead, he gave Sobek a very regal, but mocking bow. “Very impressive. But watch this!” He didn’t need to read from the scroll this time. He shouted the same combination of Greek and Egyptian words from earlier.

Not five words into the chant, Sadie’s shout rang through the trees. “ _ Ke-rau-noh! _ ”

Percy didn’t see the explosion, bit it must have been impressive. He and Carter were thrown forwards, landing on top of Sobek who grunted in discomfort. Spitting a clump of dirt from his mouth, Percy stood and turned to see a smoking crater where Setne had been standing.

“That was brilliant!” Sadie said, stepping over a fallen branch into the clearing. “Did I get him?”

“Nope!” Setne appeared from the carnage a few feet away, his clothes smoldering but otherwise unharmed. He knelt and snatched up something conical and white… Sobek’s crown. It must’ve rolled off when they tackled the god.

“Thanks for this.” Setne spread his arms triumphantly, the white crown in one hand, the Book of Thoth in the other. “Now, where was I? Oh, right! Consuming all of you.”

Across the field, Percy heard Annabeth’s voice (and if his heart melted in relief at hearing her voice he didn’t care, because hearing her meant that she was still alive and  _ not _ dead) boom around the clearing.

“ _ STAHP! _ ”

Apparently,  _ stahp _ was actually a word in Ancient Egyptian. Who knew? A bright blue hieroglyph scythed through the air, cutting off Setne’s right hand at the wrist. The magician shrieked in pain, the book plopping into the grass.

The Son of Poseidon’s head snapped around to see Annabeth slowly making her way towards them, an arm flung out from when she’d cast the spell. Some of the blonde’s hair had slipped from it’s ponytail, loosely framing her face; which was wearing an expression that screamed murderous intent.

She was absolutely gorgeous

The magician snarled down at the book which was still gripped in his decapitated limb. “Take the book, then! I don’t need it anymore.”

He vanished in a whirl of darkness.

On the ground behind Percy, the crocodile god Sobek thrashed and shoved Carter aside. “Get off me!”

“You’re welcome.” The elder Kane grumbled, rising and brushing his hands off on his jeans.

“You miserable Kanes,” the god grumbled. “Should have known you’d be involved. Always mucking about in godly affairs.”

“Oh, sure, so now it’s  _ our _ fault?” Sadie hefted her staff.

She and Annabeth made their way over slowly, the reason for the measured pace soon revealing itself as Percy’s gaze snagged on the red stained cloth that had been hastily tied around Annabeth’s lower left calf.

The Son of Poseidon was at her side in an instant, worry creasing his forehead as he looped an arm under her. “What happened?”

“Monsters.” Came the blonde’s clipped response as she fought back a grimace. “Two headed dogs with-”

“Scorpion tails?”

Sadie looked up at him. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Setne had more of them here.”

Annabeth huffed. “Well, I was blocking one of them and didn’t see the other coming up behind me. It stung me with it’s tail just before Sadie blew it up.”

The younger Kane bit her lower lip. “It’s my fault. I should have seen it sooner.”

The Daughter of Athena shook her head. “We were in the middle of a fight. Things happen, I don’t blame you for that. But I should thank you for bandaging me up.” Annabeth offered Sadie a quick smile. “I were too preoccupied at the moment to say it.”

Percy let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, leaning his forehead up against Annabeth’s. He breathed in her scent, the smell of sweat and lavender shampoo, mind holding tight to the fact that she was here, and she was okay. Annabeth tilted her head into the motion a bit, her words ghosting past his ear as she spoke.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy’s lips pulled into a smile and he planted a kiss on her forehead. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Wise Girl.”

Sobek’s voice broke the moment, apparently furious about something Carter had been saying. “I could have vanquished that usurper if you hadn’t interfered!”

Percy cleared his throat, staring down the crocodile. “Not so much. A few moments ago we watched Setne inhale a snake goddess. And, for the record, she was a lot more impressive than you.”

Yellow eyes narrowed. “Wadjet? He  _ inhaled _ Wadjet? You must tell me everything.”

They briefly clued in the god on what was happening. Percy’s grip tightening around his girlfriend in a one-armed hug. The blonde leaned into his side, partially in affection, and partially to take the weight off of her injured leg.

“So now he has  _ both _ parts of the  _ pschent _ !” If a crocodile could get ruffled feathers, Percy was sure Sobek’s would be standing on end. “Without my essence the white crown is not as powerful as it would be, this is true. But it’s still enough for Setne’s purposes. All he need do now is complete the deification ceremony while wearing the crown and he will become a god. I  _ hate _ it when mortals become gods! They always want thrones and garish palaces and shrines- and they hardly respect the rules in the gods lounge.”

“There’s a gods lounge?” Percy asked.

“We must stop him!” Sobek growled.

The four of us exchanged uneasy looks. It seemed like in all mythologies, whenever a god said ‘we’ it meant ‘you’. Then again, Sobek certainly seemed angry enough to join their ragtag group. Not that it made Percy any less nervous. He tried his best to avoid teaming up with gods that could swallow him whole. It was one of his personal boundaries.

Carter knelt down, prying the Book of Thoth from Setne’s severed hand, his face pulled into a grimace. “We’ll have to use the scroll, it has powerful magic.”

“If it’s so powerful why on earth did he just leave it behind?” Annabeth questioned, eyeing the book warily. Which was a bit strange, seeing as the Daughter of Athena usually cherished books; especially old, musty, moth-eaten ones.

“He said he was done with it.” Percy recalled. “It’s like he threw away his notes because he passed the test.”

The look of horror on Annabeth’s face was adorable as she gaped at him. “Are you crazy? Why would you throw away your notes after a test?”

Percy rolled his eyes. “You  _ would _ be the one who saves their notes instead of burning them.”

Sadie cleared her throat, “While it’s terribly cute watching you two snipe at each other, we still have the minor problem of Setne to deal with.”

“I’m guessing he won't just stand around quietly while we get ready.” Carter agreed. “We should head upstream, that’s where he’ll perform the ritual.”

“How could you  _ possibly _ know that?”

Carter shot his sister a scathing look. “Because I actually crack a book open now and again and  _ read _ .”

“He’s correct.” Sobek agreed, turning to the north. “Setne will perform the ritual on the (east) side of the stream, where the flow of magic is strongest. However, we cannot just rush in. It would be suicide, especially now that Setne has both halves of the crown.” The crocodile’s upper lip curled in annoyance. “I hate Ptolemaic magic: mixing Greek and Egyptian power is an abomination, and yet-”

“It works.” Annabeth interrupted. “Sadie’s spell was able to at least daze Setne. But we’ll need something more.”

“Yes…” The crocodile fixed his slitted eyes on me, snout tilting down as he gave Percy a once over; looking for all the world like he was his next meal. The demigod shuddered. “One of you will have to distract Setne and keep him unbalanced while the others prepare a trap. We’ll need a very potent hybrid attack, an abomination even Ptolemy himself would approve of.”

“Why are you looking at me?” Percy frowned. “I’m not that abominable.”

“You  _ are _ a Son of Poseidon.” Sobek said with only a hint of distaste. “I can smell it on you. It’s not ideal, but it would be a most unexpected combination.”

Percy blinked, beyond confused. “Combination? What-”

“Oh no, no no no no.” Sadie raised her hands. The normally fierce and snarky girl looked genuinely scared, and anything that could scare  _ her _ was not something Percy wanted to know about. “Sobek, you can’t be serious. You want a demigod to  _ host _ you? He’s not even a magician- he doesn’t have the, Kings Blood, for Ra’s sake!”

Carter had closed his eyes, a sour expression crossing his face. “That’s his point, Sadie. Percy isn’t the usual kind of host. If the pairing works he could be incredibly strong.”

“Or it could melt his brain!” Sadie countered.

“Whoa now, hold it!” Annabeth took a limping step forwards. “I much prefer my boyfriend with an un-melted brain. What exactly do you plan to do?” The question was directed at the god, Annabeth’s grey eyes as wild as the storm that still encircled the mountain.

It was Carter who answered, however. “Sobek wants Percy to become his host. That’s one way the Egyptian gods maintain a presence in the mortal world- they inhabit someone's body.”

Percy’s stomach jackknifed at the thought of having a god  _ inside _ him. “That sounds…” the demigod paused, trying to think of a word that would convey his complete disgust without offending the god, eventually settling for, “gross.”

Sobek rounded on me. “There is no time for petty feelings of discomfort. If you want to stop Setne from becoming immortal, you need the power of a god. We must act  _ now _ . Together we will triumph! We shall rip the flesh from his drowned corpse.”

Percy swallowed. “I’m actually trying to cut back on my daily intake of flesh…”

The elder Kane gave Percy as sympathetic look that did nothing to erase the unease Percy was experiencing. “Unfortunately, Sobek is right. Percy, you’re our best shot.” His tone turned bitter. “Sadie and I couldn’t host Sobek even if we tried. We already have patron gods.”

Sobek fixed his golden eyes on me. “Do you consent to hosting me, demigod?”

Percy could think of a million ways to say ‘no’, the word ‘yes’ simply wouldn’t pass his lips. Sea-green eyes looked to Annabeth for support, but the Daughter of Athena looked as alarmed as he felt.

“I- I don’t know Percy.” She confessed. “This is  _ way  _ beyond me.”

Percy took a deep breath. He told himself that hosting a god couldn’t be worse than all of the other weird and horrible things he’d experienced in his demigod career. Besides… his friends needed his help. And, personally, Percy did not want to have a new god who looked like a famished Elvis running around in his neighborhood.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

Sobek nodded solemnly. “In order for us to merge, you must first tell me your secret name.”

“What?” Carter frowned at the god, suspicious. “Why? Sadie and I never had to do that.”

“It’s as you said, you and your sister have the, Kings Blood, this godling does not. In order for us to properly fuse, a certain level of trust is required. Calm yourself, Kane,” Sobek said, rolling over Carter’s noise of protest. “The exchange is not one sided, I will learn his secret name, and he shall learn mine.”

It was Percy’s turn to look confused. “But, I don’t know my secret name.”

Suddenly, the rainstorm fizzled out. In the eerie, muggy quiet, a red glow lit the sky to the north; if Percy didn’t know any better, he’d think someone had started a bonfire.

“That would be Setne.” Sobek said, snout tilted towards the light. “He has begun the ritual. You must tell me your secret name  _ now _ , or it will be too late.”

“I told you, I don’t-”

“Yes,” Sadie interrupted. “You do.” Her blue eyes flashed with insight. “Remember my dream? The one in the graveyard that you so rudely inserted yourself into. Remember what your body looked like, your  _ ren _ . That- the culmination of your experiences and memories- is your secret name.”

Percy’s mind flashed back to the dreamscape, seeing his translucent purple body with greek words swirling and mixing together. He remembered one phrase standing out, brighter than all of the others and pulsating with a deep sense of  _ rightness _ .

The Son of Poseidon looked up, steeling his resolve as he spoke to the Egyptian god. “My name is Percy Jackson:  _ The Prophesied One _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Aaaaand onto the next chapter, right? No cliffhangers here! Nope. Because I TOTALLY intended to miss an upload and then do a double to make up for the mistake.
> 
> :P
> 
> Yup. Anyway- thoughts and comments give me life (and with elections I am currently dying of stress).
> 
> <3


	32. The Crown of Ptolemy (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy hosts a god, Annabeth learns to speak Egyptian, and Setne is not amused. Well... okay a LITTLE amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Long time no see ;) Here we go with part 2! So much for last chapter's cliffhanger of an ending... Oh well.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Percy POV)**

Percy’s word to the wise was that if anyone was thinking about hosting a god? Don’t. Just walk away.

As soon as he’d said the words, Sobek dissolved into a swirling mixture of sand and seawater, the entirety of which proceeded to force itself through the demigods nose and mouth. Percy’s eye blew wide as he gagged on the intruding substance. There was a muted thud as his knees smacked into the ground, and Percy could faintly hear someone (or maybe multiple someone’s) shout his name. All of his senses seemed to turn inwards, the sound of the storm and the others fading in the background.

One hand flew to his throat as he struggled to inhale, the other bracing against the earth. The demigod screwed his eyes shut against the onslaught. His nose and mouth felt both as dry as the desert and submerged under the sea at the same time.

_ The Unyielding Tempest _

The thought wasn’t his own. But as soon as the words flitted through his head the suffocating sensation abated, and Percy drew in a harsh gasp as  _ energy _ flooded through his veins. Memories of ancient empires and visions of towering sandstone structures flashed through his mind. With each one came a simultaneous unantiquation and familiarization; and a surge of that same boundless energy. And while the Nile was nothing compared to the raging sea, it was unlike anything he’d ever experienced; a well of power brimming at his fingertips-

“Percy!”

Annabeth.

The Son of Poseidon’s head snapped up at the familiar voice, vision swimming slightly with what he saw. While Percy still regarded Annabeth as he normally did- adorably deadly- he also saw her through the god’s eyes, almost like a sheet of film had been placed over his gaze. Annabeth was radiating a blue energy, and thoughts that were not entirely his own darted through his mind.  _ Powerful, fierce, cunning, tactical.  _ It was giving him a headache.

The Daughter of Athena was kneeling at his side, her steely grey eyes widening slightly as they flickered between his own. “Percy… are you-”

There was a spark behind his eyes and Percy winced, blinking a few times only to realize that the vibrant colors had been diminished slightly.

_ My apologies _ . The voice in his head that was undeniably Sobeck’s spoke.  _ It has been a long millenia since I have hosted a mortal. _

“Technically I’m only half mortal.” Percy retorted aloud, head still reeling from the experience.

The god hummed, a deep rumbling noise that ghosted through Percy’s own chest.  _ You are indeed a child of the sea; reckless, wild, your thoughts a churning mess- _

“Okay, okay, I get it.” The demigod cut the god off, not sure whether to feel insulted or complimented.

“Get what?” Annabeth frowned at him, confused.

“Huh?” It was only then that Percy remembered he wasn’t alone. His cheeks flamed under the intense stares of the others. “No, sorry, I wasn’t- I mean,” The Son of Poseidon gestured aimlessly. “I was-”

“Talking to the god in your head?” Sadie filled in helpfully.

Percy nodded. “Yeah.” Gods this was weird.

Sadie walked in a circle around Percy, frowning like she was trying to decipher a complex puzzle. When she’d made a full circumference she nodded to herself, saying, “It worked.”

“You sound surprised.” Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

Sadie offered a shrug in return. “This has never been done before.” Then the younger Kane turned her attention to Percy. “You have to try and strike a balance. Don’t let Sobek take over, but don’t fight him either. It’s kind of like running a three-legged race: you have to get in rhythm with your partner. But if you have to choose,” Sadie added, “smack him down and stay in control.”

A rage that wasn’t his own rose within Percy and his lip pulled back in a snarl. Words forced themselves from his lips. “Stupid  _ Kane _ ! Do not tell me-” Percy blinked hard, forcing his mouth closed as he swallowed the rest of the sentence. “Sorry, Sadie. That was Sobek talking, not me.”

The younger Kane rolled her shoulder in a half-shrug, not looking at all offended. “I figured. I wish we had more time for you to get used to hosting a god. However-”

A flash of red illuminated the treetops.

“The sooner I get this god out of my head, the better.” Percy agreed, turning in the direction of the light.

“So what’s the plan?” The Daughter of Athena asked.

“We have the book.” Sadie pointed out, holding up the tome and reaching into her jacket pocket to procure a small silver disk. “And the fidelity coin. All we have to do is cast a spell and Setne will be banished to the deepest layers of the Duat.”

“Zia’s in no condition to fight.” Carter spoke up from where he was still crouched next to his girlfriend. Two of the ceramic healing vials were on the ground at his feet, both empty, and still the fire elementalist remained unconscious.

Leo cracked a grim smile. “Neither am I, if I’m being completely honest. Whatever that fire attack was- it took a lot out of me.”

_ The elemental _ . Sobek nodded (it was indescribably weird to be able to  _ feel _ someone nodding in his head).  _ I’m surprised Setne was able to harness one’s power. Let alone command it. They are aged creatures, as old as the gods themselves. _

“I’ll take her back to the Argo,” Leo was saying. “You guys go smash Setne’s face.”

Annabeth snorted. “I don’t think it’ll be that easy-”

“Why not?” Percy interrupted. “Trying to be sneaky with this guys isn’t working- so let’s go simple. No plan, just charge in and attack.”

Sadie smiled. “I like the way you think.”

“But-” Annabeth bit her lip, then sighed. “Alright. We’ll try a frontal assault.

Carter leaned over, planting a kiss on Zia’s forehead. Then he stood and faced the demigods, eyes blazing. “I agree, trying to out plan Setne was a mistake.”

_ You’ll need a weapon _ . Sobek pointed out.

Percy’s hand was guided by the god, reaching out into the air. Rain from the storm was called to his open palm, the liquid coalescing into the shape of a curved sword (similar to Carter’s but longer and thicker). There was a burst of energy that flowed from Percy’s chest outward through his arm and into the weapon. The water changed to steel, the tip of the blade angled upwards towards the sky.

_ A kopis _ . Sobek supplied.  _ A true warriors weapon _ .

Percy smiled at the others. “Let’s go smash Setne’s face.”

* * *

Setne really could not decide on his wardrobe.

The undead magician was strutting around the mountaintop in black bell-bottom slacks, a frilly white shirt, and a glittery purple trench coat (one of the sleeve ends drooping over the stump where his hand used to be). His coat billowed in the wind as the storm around the mountain raged on. All of it clashed horribly with his newly combined red and white crown.

Setne looked like Prince from one of Percy’s mom’s old album covers. And judging from the magic lights swirling around him, he was about to party like it was 1999 B.C.E.

Having only one hand didn’t seem to bother the magician; Setne waving his incomplete appendage around like a conductor, chanting in Greek and Egyptian while fog rose at his feet. Bursts of light danced and bobbed around his ankles, as if a thousand kids were writing their names with sparklers.

Percy had no idea what he was looking at, but Sobek did.

Through the gods eyes, Percy recognized it as the Duat- the magical dimension that existed beneath the mortal realm. The layers of multi-colored jelly glowed with an ethereal quality as it plunged down into infinity. On the surface, where the mortal and immortal worlds collided, Setne was whipping the Duat into a storm of color and frothy white plumes of smoke.

Some part of Percy’s mind brought up the fact that he should have been terrified. Seeing the world in all of its infinite levels was enough to give anyone vertigo. But Percy had been dropped into oceans before; he was used to floating in the depths with endless thermal layers around him with no sense of direction.

Similary, Sobek was not easily impressed. The god had seen just about everything in his millenia of existence. His mind churning as fiercely as the magic displayed before them. In Sobek’s eyes, the mortal world was constantly changing, dotted with the remnants of men and their civilizations. Nothing lasted. Only the earth and the sea would remain after the mortals long died out.

Still, Percy could feel Sobek’s hesitance upon seeing how brutally Setne’s spell tore through the Mist. He wasn’t just manipulating it- magicians did that all the time- Setne was strip-mining it. Wherever he stepped, fractures radiated outward, cleaving through the layers of the magic realm. His poorly-dressed form sucked in energy from every direction, destroying the delicate boundaries and slowly transforming him into an immortal.

He was ripping a hole in the cosmic order that might never close.

Setne’s magic pulled at them- Sobek and Percy both- urging them to give up and be absorbed into the maelstrom of Setne’s new and glorious form. The Son of Poseidon didn’t want to be absorbed, and neither did the crocodile god. Their common purpose helped them work together to resist it.

Percy marched across the field: no strategy, no plan. The Kanes and Annabeth fanned out on either side of him, the latter facing stoically ahead, her face betraying nothing of her wounded leg even as he steps lagged slightly. Maybe if they could keep Setne busy, his girlfriend could cut off Setne’s other hand. Or his legs. Bonus points if he went for the head.

Setne stopped chanting when he saw them.

“Awesome!” He grinned. “You brought the gator with you. Thanks!”

Not the reaction Percy had been imagining. Sobek snarled in his mind,  _ I’m  _ not _ a gator. _

Being so close to Setne was like standing next to a waterfall. His white noise drowned out everything. Even Anabeth looked like she was struggling to concentrate, stormy eyes narrowed as they shifted from the crown to Setne’s hand to the floor and back again.

“Drop the crown Setne.” Percy raised his  _ kopis _ , which didn’t feel nearly as heavy with Sobeks power flowing through him. “Surrender now, and you might get out of this alive- or, well, undead. Otherwise-”

Setne laughed. “Very good, very threatening! But I’m afraid I can’t do that. Beside, there’s nothing left to stop the newly made god.” He spread his hands with a grin.

“You’re not a god yet.” Sadie snapped. “And it’s going to stay that way.”

“An inevitability, as I can assure you.” The undead magician said, waving off the comment with his stump. Setne’s eyes lingered for half a second on the appendage. “I must say, I was impressed with the hand-cutting-off spell, Miss Chase. Very resourceful. Of course, you always have been smarter than everyone else- not that they appreciated it.”

Percy frowned. “Hey-”

“Yes, yes, aside from lover boy over there.” Setne’s eyes gleamed as he talked. “But you, Miss Chase, you crave knowledge.  _ True _ knowledge. Imagine what you could learn from this experiment of mine! Merging two powers has never been done before: the terra nova of the gods! Wouldn’t you like to be at the forefront of this expedition?”

Annabeth swayed slightly, her eyes taking on a misty look. “I…”

“And you, Sadie.” Setne turned his attention to the younger Kane. “Imagine being able to keep your family safe  _ permanently _ . All those years spent defending them from those close-minded idiots in the other Nomes. They never had your ambition, your foresight. And Carter, think what would be possible if we combined forces. We could stop Hathor with a snap of the fingers. We could bring your father back to life- I mean  _ real _ life, not that horrible half-life he’s got in the Second Cataract.”

Sadie was staring at the magician with the same faraway look, her hand clenching and unclenching around her wand as if she couldn’t decide whether or not to blast him. Carter was blinking furiously, shaking his head as if to rid himself of an annoying fly.

Setne spread his hand out. “I intend to change the rules of the game. Anything will be possible, once I’m a god.” Around Setne’s wrist, the Mist curled, solidifying into a new, crimson red hand. “What do you say?”

Thanks to his new godly sight, Percy saw what was happening. Thin, nearly invisible tendrils of energy were flowing out from the magician, coiling around the others as the words dripped from his tongue. Percy had to do something. Whatever magic had transfixed his friends needed to be stopped.A word popped into his mind, fed to him by the god sharing his head space. The demigod pointed the  _ kopis _ at Setne. “ _ Sahaq. _ ”

A giant purple fist the size of a refrigerator materialized over Setne’s head and punded him into the ground like a nail into soft wood. Even the earth itself had been dented from the blow; four knuckle-shaped indents marring the surface. Percy stared, wide-eyed at the crumpled Crown of Ptolemy; the only part of Setne still visible above ground.

“What was  _ that _ ?” He asked Sobek, seeing the magic binding his friends dissolve.

_ Crush. _ The god replied.  _ A basic spell, but quite effective _ .

Now that the caster had been interrupted, the others were starting to come out of their trance. Sadie pinched the bridge of her nose, groaning quietly. Annabeth shook her head hard, the motion causing her to teter precariously.

Percy was at her side in the blink of an eye, steadying her with a hand and a concerned look. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I…” The Daughter of Athena’s gaze snagged on the dent in the ground where Setne had been. “Never mind me!” She suddenly snapped. “Get the crown!”

Percy realized she was right. As effective as the spell had been, it was nowhere near as powerful as it would have to be to take down the undead magician. The demigod would’ve sprung into action, except he and Sobek had a moment of paralysis. The god wanted his crown back. But Percy took one look at the crown’s eerie glow, remembering the way it had devoured everything in sight, and decided he was  _ not _ touching it without latex gloves and maybe a hazmat suit.

Before they could resolve their differences, the earth rumbled. Setne rose from the ground as if on an elevator platform and glared with manic eyes. “I make you a perfectly fair offer, and you hit me with a giant fist?  _ Rude _ !”

Sadie drew out the Book of Thoth.

Setne’s eyes darted over to her but he just laughed. “Sadie, dear, I know how to defeat every spell in that book. There’s nothing in there you could read that will stop me.”

“You won’t win.” Sadie insisted. “But you’re right, there’s no spell  _ I _ could read.” The younger Kane held the book out to Annabeth. The daughter of Athena took it after only a moment of hesitation, the younger Kane leaning in and whispering something in her ear.

Annabeth’s face transformed into one of pure wonder. An expression Percy’d only seen on her once before: when she beheld the gods palace on Mount Olympus.

Sadie then turned to Percy. “Annabeth has work to do.” She said, pulling out the Fidelity Coin and flipping it to the Daughter of Athena who snatched it from the air without missing a beat. “Why don’t you, me, and my brother keep our friend here occupied.”

The Daughter of Athena opened the book and began reading aloud in Ancient Egyptian. Glowing hieroglyphs floated to life off of the papyrus. They swirled around her, mixing with Greek words as Annabeth added her own commentary to the spell.

Setne looked even more surprised than Percy felt. The magician made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. “That’s not- Hold on, now. No!” He raised his arms to cast a counterspell, his crown beginning to glow.

But Sadie was faster, the blonde throwing out a hand and commanding, “ _ Ke-rah-noh _ !”

The resulting lightning strike put Zeus’ master bolt to shame. A streak of white-blue slammed into the ground where Setne stood, Percy’s ears ringing from the shock wave as it hit. The demigod blinked away spots to see that Setne was still standing, his clothes smoking and singed in various places from the spell. The red and white crown now tilted off-center.

_ Our turn _ . Sobek said, and Percy found himself raising his arms.

Percy had never thought of rivers as threatening. They were lazy runs of water that meandered across the land, cutting through forests and hills. He'd forgotten that a river's current could be as strong as any riptide, their rapids faster than waves upon the shore. The hurricane surrounding the mountaintop bent to the will of the godly power coursing through his veins, the rain swirling and combining until Percy, Setne, and the Kanes were isolated from Annabeth by their own miniature typhoon.

Setne scowled at the liquid barrier, waving his hands to summon a horde of the scorpion dogs.

Carter activated his combat chicken at the same time Setne pointed towards Annabeth, the hybrid monsters bounding towards the edge of the raging water cage. The elder Kane swiped his  _ khopesh _ , slicing through a number of the dogs as they ran past. His younger sister was ready for the ones that slipped by, calling out spell after spell and burning, crushing, cutting, and otherwise eviscerating the minions.

“Go!” She shouted, smacking one of the dogs with her staff before spinning on her heels to shoot a fireball at another. “We got this.”

Percy turned back to Setne, eyeing the enemy critically. “What now?” He asked, directing the question inwards.

Sobek’s power welled up in response.  _ Now, we fight! _

As it turns out, Carter wasn’t the only one who had a half-human, half-animal avatar. Percy’s body lifted into the air a good six feet, his legs and chest encased in the transparent purple form of a human warrior. His arms were clawed at the end and a crocodile snout stretched out from his face. Even his new sword was surrounded by the ghostly aura, the curved bade’s projection an easy three feet long.

“Whoa…” Percy breathed.

“You were always so old-fashioned, Sobek.” Setne sneered. He spoke a word and an overly large staff materialized in his hand- one with glowing red runes and letters. “It’s time for the old ways to die out, and for the next generation to herald in the new.”

_ He talks too much _ . The crocodile god observed.

Percy couldn’t agree more. Together, they lunged at Setne, reaching out a hand to snatch the crown from his head. But Setne ducked underneath the purple appendage, shifting to the side and whipping the staff around for a strike. Percy raised the  _ kopis _ , the two weapons meeting in the air with a  _ CLANG _ that reverberated through Percy’s entire arm.

For a twig, Setne was  _ strong _ .

They traded blows, neither able to break through the others guard until Setne attempted to cast a spell. Percy took the opening, leaping forwards, his clawed hand wrapping around the rough fabric of the crown. Setne’s own hand snapped up in response, grabbing Percy’s wrist.

Now as a demigod, Percy lived and breathed weirdness, it kind of came with the territory. But there were still moments when Percy had to do a mental double take: like when he was grappling with almost-immortal magician in a glowing purple crocodile-headed avatar… all so he could steal his hat.

That hat was not coming off either. Setne must’ve fastened it to his pompadour with superglue.

Percy’s clawed hands grabbed at the hat, attempting to tear it off while his sword deflected Setne’s staff. The magician yowled in pain, bringing his second arm around to clober the side of the demigods snout. The blow snapped Percy’s head to the side and he stumbled. Setne followed up with a blast of magic, the demigod crossing his arms as the arc of red energy glanced off the transparent purple wrist bracers.

Setne poured more energy into the attack, and the crocodile avatar slid back, leaving grooves in the dirt. Behind him, the water barrier swirled, and Percy reached out with the gods power, commanding a small wave to snake around and blast Setne from behind. While the magician sputtered, Percy called forth a second wave, riding it like a surfboard in a sweeping arc to flank the magician, slashing his sword towards Setne’s neck. A crimson shield burst into existence at the last moment, sparing the almost-god from decapitation.

During their first encounter at the museum, Carter had warned Percy that magic could literally burn up a magician if he used too much at once. The rule seemed to apply to demigods too. Every time Setne blasted Percy’s form or tried to break through his defense with his near-godly strength, Percy’s head would throb. That combined with his upkeep of the watery cage was starting to take its toll. Percy’s eyesight began to dim, and before long, the demigod was drenched in sweat.

Percy disengaged from the fight, shifting to a defensive stance as he recovered his breath. Sadie and Carter were dealing with the last of the scorpion-dog hybrids, having thinned out the horde to only a few dozen. Carter’s own chicken avatar wasn’t glowing as brightly, and Sadie’s spells were taking longer to cast as she reverted to smacking the monsters with her weapon. Contrary to them all Setne, while breathing heavily, looked none the worse for wear. And yet his aggressive posture changed, the staff lowering and one hand propping on his hip.

“Percy, Percy.” Setne tisked, his tone making it sound like they were a couple of bros on a night on the town. The demigod immediately tensed, waiting for some sort of sleight. “Don’t you see what an incredible opportunity this is? A perfect do-over. You of all people should appreciate that. The Olympians once offered you their most valuable gift: They offered to make you a  _ god _ , didn’t they?”

In his peripheral, Percy saw Sadie’s head snap up to stare at him, brow furrowed and mouth slightly open in surprise.

“And you- you loveable idiot- you turned them down!” Setne continued. “This is your chance to correct that mistake.”

Percy’s avatar flickered like a bad neon light tube as Sobek, Percy’s brain buddy, turned his attention inwards.

_ You turned down immortality? _ The gods voice was incredulous. Offended, almost.

He scanned the demigods memories, and Percy saw his past from the gods point of view. Percy was standing in the throne room of Mount Olympus after the Titan war. Zeus offered him a reward: Godhood. Percy turned it down flat, wanting justice for the other demigods instead; he demanded that the gods stop ignoring their children, to pay attention to their half-mortal sons and daughters.

A stupid request. A naive thing to wish for. Percy had given up power- you  _ never _ give up power.

The Son of Poseidon struggled to keep his mind separated from the gods. “Sobek, those are your thoughts, not mine.”

_ Then you are a fool _ . The crocodile god growled.

“Yeah, pal.” Setne said, apparently able to hear our voiceless conversation. “I gotta agree with the gator on this one. You did the noble thing. Commendable, but ultimately useless. Tell me, how did that work out? Did the gods honor their promise?”

This time, Percy couldn’t discern Sobeks bitterness from his own. Sure he’d grumbled about the gods from time to time, but Percy had never regretted his decision to stay mortal. He had a girlfriend, he had a family, he had his whole life ahead of him (assuming he could stay alive, that is).

Maybe it was just the god in his mind… or Setne toying with him, but Percy started to wonder if he’d made a huge blunder. Setne’s crown glowed more brightly. His aura grew cold, numbing Percy’s limbs and turning his thoughts sluggish.

“You’re a good kid,” Setne continued. “A lot nicer than the god you’re trying to host. But you’ve got to see the truth: you should’ve taken Zeus’s offer. You would be a god now. You’d be strong enough to  _ make _ those changes you asked for! I’m giving you a second chance- help me, Percy. Become a god.”

_ Strength is good, _ Sobek agreed.  _ Immortality is good _ .

Percy’s limbs were frozen. Sobek seemed to forget which of us were the enemy. The god favored strength. Setne was strong, Percy was weak.

_ He was sentenced to oblivion four times, but managed to talk his way out of it on each occasion. _

As he recalled Carter’s words, Percy’s mind finally cleared. He understood what Setne had been trying to do, and how it had been working. “You’re looking for a way into my mind.” He said. “Something you can relate to and use against me. But I’m  _ not _ like you. I don’t  _ want _ immortality, especially if it rips the worlds apart in the process.”

Setne smiled sadly. “Well, it was worth a try. Especially since I made you lose control of your gator!”

An explosion of cold shattered Percy’s avatar and he fell to the ground. The typhoon surrounding them fell as well; the demigods concentration broken.

Setne surged forwards, passing by Percy to charge at Annabeth, who was just about finished drawing a glowing symbol in the air. The Son of Poseidon staggered to his feet and the Kanes converged on their undead, distantly related uncle. From the ease in which Setne stopped their attacks, it was clear who was going to win that fight.

“Sobek.” Percy growled. “You don’t have to agree with my decision, but we can’t lose sight of the real enemy. Now get you scaly green butt into gear and  _ fight! _ ”

It was certainly a first for the crocodile god: being commanded by a mortal. But Sobek valued power and a warriors determination, and so once more, Percy rose from the ground in his combat avatar. They closed the distance in two bounding steps just as Setne loosed a burst of magic that batted the Kanes aside like flies.

Acting on pure instinct, Percy wrapped his arms around the skinny magician, halting his progress, and did the only thing he could think to do to get that gods-dammed crown off of his head.

He bit it.

The ghostly purple snout chomped down over Setne’s head and the to-be god screamed like- well like someone who was having their head crushed by a crocodile’s mouth. Percy wasn’t sure why Setne didn’t just magic himself away, but he supposed even powerful magicians could succumb to panic. When you’re being bear hugged by a glowing purple crocodile man who just chomped down on your face, rational thoughts like “ _ Gee, I have spells and stuff,” _ gave way to more pressing matters like _ “OH MY GOD THIS KID IS HOLDING ON TO ME AND I’M TRAPPED AND HE JUST CHOMPED ON MY FACE AND I’M GOING TO DIE!!!” _

With every ounce of remaining strength he had, Percy yanked upwards, hearing the telltale  _ riiipp _ as the crown was torn from the magicians head, bringing a fair amount of Setne’s pompous hairdo with it, the black stands hanging down from the bottom of the hat like party streamers.

The Son of Poseidon dropped Setne, the magician crumpling in the earth, hands shooting up to grip his head. Percy looked up and locked eyes with Annabeth, who had completed her drawing and held up a hand, signaling her to wait. His fellow demigod frowned slightly but nodded, lips poised to finish the spell.

Dropping the purple avatar, Percy crouched in front of Setne. “You took something of mine.” He snarled, “And I want it back.”

What he did next was something so bizarre that Percy had trouble putting it into words. Guided by the god in his head, the Son of Poseidon shoved his hand  _ into _ Setne’s stomach. But instead of meeting flesh, his hand slipped through what felt like layers of cold, heavy curtains. The magicians mouth opened in a silent scream. Percy reached further, nearly up to his elbow, until he felt the familiar form of a ballpoint pen in his fingers.

Gripping it, Percy clicked the top, withdrawing riptide from Setne’s stomach with a gross  _ sluurp _ ing sound. The celestial bronze glinted deadly in the fading light as Percy stood, towering over the hunched figure. He felt like this would be the perfect time to say something clever, but instead he turned to Annabeth who was staring in shock at her boyfriend.

“Now!” Sadie shouted from the side, snapping the demigod from her stupor.

“ _ W _ _ a'abeidak 'iilaa apó ti skopiá tis líthis! _ ” The Daughter of Athena chanted, tossing the Fidelity coin into the air, the silver disk exploding is a shower of sparks that rained down on Setne. Where each fragment of the coin hit, Setne’s form began to sizzle and smoke. A bright white light emanated from his core and grew in intensity.

_ Get back! _ Sobek shouted in Percy’s mind, just as Annabeth said the same thing aloud.

She and Sadie shouted simultaneous magical words in Greek and Egyptian, that same blue-silver shield they’d conjured on the Argo III forming around Setne as the white glow strengthened. Whispers of crimson magic were sucked into the light, words and hieroglyphs swirling around like a blender until the white overtook the red.

Percy braced himself for the explosion- because so far, everything having to do with magic exploded. But it never happened. The light faded, revealing nothing but a smoking patch of grass where the magician once stood.

_ His essence has been scattered _ . Sobek explained.  _ The usurper is no more. _

A relieved smile stretched on Percy’s face and he walked over to where Annabeth was standing wrapping his girlfriend in a hug. “You’re amazing, Wise Girl.” He said, before planting a kiss on her lips. He was tired and sweaty, and so was she, but it was one of the best kisses they’d ever shared.

The Daughter of Athena pulled back after a moment raising an eyebrow, even as she smirked. “Did you expect anything less?”

Percy’s smile grew.

“We did it!” Sadie cheered, swapping a high five with her brother.

“You sound surprised.” Annabeth teased lightly.

Sadie just laughed. The mood was infectious and soon they were all chuckling and high-fiving: Reveling in the victory.

Then Sobek stiffened in Percy’s mind.

The demigod frowned at him (as if the god could see him, which he probably couldn’t) “What is it?” His question caught the attention of the others, whose good mood faded faster than a shadow in the sun. Sobek was silent for a moment, probing at something that Percy couldn’t discern.

_ It’s Hathor _ . The god finally said.  _ She’s arrived at the last needle. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Hehe... did I say no cliffhanger today? Hmmm.... yeah... that was a bit of a lie. At least Annabeth is happy now- she finally gets to learn how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs!
> 
> Have a wonderful day my lovelies, and godspeed to my fellow Americans who are suffering through this debacle of an election season with me.
> 
> Until Friday! (I promise I will not forget this time!)  
> <3


	33. An Oath to Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the way to London, Annabeth ponders her deal with Ihy and finds a source of advice in the most unlikely of places.
> 
> Or: The calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Happy Friday!!! I'm currently sitting in my Tech Report Writing class, bored out of my gods dammed mind because this professor is the actual worst. Hopefully y'all's day is having a better start :P
> 
> We're in the final stretch, only 3 chapter to go after this one!!! I'll probably say this in every chapter from here on out but thank you all so much for reading (and leaving kudos and comments) <333
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Annabeth POV)**

Sobek departed shortly after his cryptic announcement. Seeing a god leave someone’s body was almost as disgusting as the entry process in Annabeth’s experience. It was like Percy had inhaled a river and was spitting it all back up; gallons of water pouring from his mouth in an endless stream. Something that Annabeth was sure felt all the more awkward for her normally water-breathing, drown-resistant boyfriend.

The god had briefly reformed while Percy sputtered on hands and knees beside him. “I must go. Ra needs my protection.” Sobek had growled (which by now, Annabeth realized was just his way of speaking) before bursting into a shower of water and disappearing.

Sadie shook droplets from her leather jacket, her face scrunched in a scowl. “And they say _ I’m _ the dramatic one.” She muttered.

Ignoring the siblings for the moment, Annabeth hurried to Percy’s side, bracing the Son of Poseidon as he stood a bit shakily, massaging his chest. Sea green eyes met storm grey. “Next time I suggest letting a god possess me, remind me how stupid I am.”

“I do that all the time and it hasn’t deterred you yet.” Annabeth pointed out. “Maybe next time I should just hit you really  _ really  _ hard to drive the point home?”

Her boyfriends laugh was light and golden and it caused her heart to flutter with relief. It let her know that this was still her Percy, the lovable idiot who would do anything for his friends, and not the half-possessed, glowing yellow eyes Percy. A slight shudder rippled down Annabeth’s shoulders as her mind conjured up the image of her boyfriend surrounded by the glowing purple crocodile. It had been terrifying; the savagery with wich he fought resembling nothing of the Percy Jackson she’d known.

“If what Sobek said is true, and Hathor is at the needle…” Carter’s worried words broke the moment.

Sadie nodded, picking up on her brother’s train of thought. “We need to get to London, and fast.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Percy wondered aloud. “Leo’s ship can only go so fast...”

Carter’s face was the picture of contemplation. Sadie picked up on the expression and grimaced. “Please tell me this isn’t going to be one of those ideas that sounds good but ends up being really bad.”

“Hey-” Carter’s tone was offended, “I didn’t even say anything.”

“No, but you had that look.”

“What look? I don’t have a look. And since when do my ideas end up being bad?”

Sadie raised an eyebrow. “Want a list?”

“First things first,” Annabeth interrupted, using her best no-nonsense, camp counselor voice. “Lets get back to the ship. You can argue on the way there.”

The siblings conceded, and the four of them began the long walk back. Carter and Sadie did, coincidentally, begin arguing on the way; the two magicians voices growing hushed to match the eerily silent forest around them.

Annabeth, for her part, tuned out most of their bickering: Instead focusing on her footing as they wove around fallen trees and impacted chunks of rock. Her foot slid down a patch of unstable dirt and she caught herself with a hiss as her wounded leg took most of the weight. An arm instantly wrapped around her shoulder, supporting her left sie.

“Careful.” Percy said, eyes flicking to her lower calf then back up to study her face. “You okay?”

“Fine.” Was Annabeth’s reply, the Daughter of Athena flinging a stray hair from her face. “It stings like Hades, but I’ve had worse.” She paused as her mind caught up with her words and she laughed at the unintended irony of her statement.

“What?” Percy asked.

“Nothing, it’s just, I was  _ stung _ by the hybrid monster. And the wound  _ stings _ .” She sniggered.

Percy’s eyes narrowed at her. “Now I know you’re not feeling good. Since when do you start cracking jokes, Wise Girl?”

Annabeth swatted at him with her hand. “Shut up, Seaweed Brain. I still can’t believe that wasn’t your secret name.”

“Heh, yeah.” Percy looked away from her, gazing ahead into the distance. “ _ Prophesized One _ … Sounds too regal. Accurate, though, can’t deny that.” His eyes slid back to hers. “I wonder what yours is?”

The Daughter of Athena’s mind flashed back to her dream, her corporeal body and the words that were swirling around her form. The one phrase that had stood out brighter than all of the rest. “Yeah… I wonder.” She replied cryptically.

Sadie did say that names held power; and there was no way she was giving that kind of control to Percy. Knowing him, he’d try to use it to get more kisses. Besides, the less people that had that sort of control over her, the better.

The ships ballistae swivelled in their direction as they emerged from the trees, deadly arrow points glinting in the diminishing light. The four stuttered to a halt, silence overtaking the Kane’s quiet conversation. The moment was short, however, as the weapons quickly stood down, the clicking and whirring of Festus’ voice grinding in the air.

“Of course it’s us. Who else would we be?” Carter grumped to the mechanical marvel, answering in a conversation exclusive to him and the dragon.

Festus snorted out a hiss of steam from it’s nostrils, lowering the ramp and watching them with red polycarbonate eyes as the four made their way up.

“I’m gonna go check on Zia.” Was all Carter said once they’d crested the deck; heading down the stairs to the lower level.

Sadie looked as if she wanted to say something, but the younger Kane held her tongue. The rest of them made their way over to  the control console where Leo was bent over a car’s gear shift stick with a screwdriver (Change to Leo bent over the satellite at the bow- meddling with some wires and casting his gaze along the bulwark) . The mechanic looked up at them and smiled. “Hey! You’re not dead!”

“Thanks for the encouragement.” Percy replied dryly.

“Hey man, look, there were a lot of flashing lights and loud sounds…” Leo shrugged. “Assume the worst, hope for the best, yeah?” His eyes alighted on something and the Son of Hephaestus reached into his toolbelt, digging around for a second. Procuring a small baggie with some squished golden cubes in it, Leo tossed it towards the other demigods. “Leg’s still bleeding.” He pointed out.

Annabeth snatched the ambrosia out of the air with a deft hand, glancing down to see that the younger demigod was correct. The trek back through the woods hadn’t done her wound any favors, the red stain having nearly overtaken all of the bandage. She popped a cube of the godly food into her mouth,  tasting (favorite food: maybe something Percy once tried to make for her but failed spectacularly)  feeling the flesh mend itself and the infection that was beginning to set in fade.  (Percy asks what Leo is working on and Leo says that Zia gave him a weapons idea but he wasn’t sure that it would work. Trails off then asks what comes next after beating setne) As Annabeth began to take off the bloody rag that had served as a makeshift bandage, she heard Sadie speaking to the others.

“For once, my brother’s plan isn’t all that bad. We know we need to get to the London needle, so we just take a portal directly there. The only problem is-”

“Hang on.” Leo interrupted, waving his hands across his body. “You’re joking right? The last time we tried to travel by portal my baby  _ crashed _ ! Remember? That little explosion? And you want to do it again? Are you crazy!”

Sadie huffed, looking more put out by the interruption than the questioning of her sanity. “Carter explained it to me. The reason the portal destabilized was because of the imbalance of magic. Three demigods and only two magicians on a Greek contraption. This time will be different.”

“Three demigods and three magicians.” Annabeth said, picking up on the reasoning.

“And a mixed magic ship.” Sadie agreed.

“What about the needle,” Percy piped up, scratching his cheek absently. “I thought the whole reason we didn’t use it in London was because we could’ve broken it?”

“We didn’t know if portal travel would even  _ work _ with you demigods.” Sadie countered. “Now that we know it works, and  _ how _ to make it work, it’s worth the risk. Besides, if we don’t get there, there’s a good chance that Hathor will destroy it anyways.”

Annabeth nodded at the logic. “What’s the catch? You were saying something about the only problem being…”

Sadie scrunched up her nose. “Portals take 24 hours to recharge. Walt and the others already used the Washington one. The next closest is by the Fifty-First nome: in Texas.”

“How fast could we get to Texas?” Annabeth directed the question at Leo.

“Well…” The mechanic drummed his fingers against the side of his tool belt. “Assuming I diverted all non-essential power to the turbo boosters, overrode the wastegate actuator limiters, ignored the boiler danger arcs, stowed the sails to reduce parasitic drag-”

“ _ Leo. _ ”

“At least an hour, maybe more.”

Sadie chewed on her bottom lip. “That’s not fast enough. If Hathor truly has reached the last needle-”

“Then we need to get there  _ now _ .” Another voice agreed. “Perhaps I could be of some assistance?”

The small group turned to find Zia leaning casually against the star railing. Beneath the guise of health, Annabeth could detect the slight droop of her head, and the stiff tensing of shoulders one does when they are stubbornly determined to stand up straight.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” There was no barb to Sadie’s question, only concern for her fellow magician.

The fire elementalist merely raised an eyebrow at the younger Kane. “And since when do you ever follow the rules of bedrest? Besides, it’s a simple enough task.” Zia continued, turning to address Leo. “My flames can increase the output of the boiler  _ without _ running the danger of it exploding.”

Leo opened his mouth to ask a question, but his confusion cleared up just as fast. “Right, right: firebender- can control the fire so even if it  _ does _ start to explode…” His voice trailed off for a second, fingers counting themselves as he did some quick mental math. “If Zia helps with the boiler, I can get us there in twenty-five minutes. Maybe twenty-seven if we have to avoid major skylanes.”

“That’ll have to do.” Annabeth said, closing out the discussion.

“Does my brother even know you’re awake?” Sadie asked the fire elementalist.

Zia scoffed. “Of course he does. He actually sent me topside to get you: he could use some help with the spell-scribing process.”

Percy smiled at the younger Kane. “No doubt he needs your brilliant mind. You two go ahead, Annabeth and I will be down in a minute.”

Annabeth shot her boyfriend a curious look but held her tongue for the moment. As the others descended the stairs to the lower level and Leo began the startup process, Percy led the Daughter of Athena over to the starboard bow.

“Are you okay?”

Annabeth’s brow furrowed at the question. Her eyes flicked down to her leg. “Fine, a little ambrosia and it’s good as-”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Percy interrupted softly. “I mean are you okay with… back there.” He gestured aimlessly back towards the clearing where the showdown with Setne had taken place. “You looked pretty freaked out.”

“Oh…” The sound was small. Annabeth crossed her arms tightly across her chest, mind flashing back to the moments after Percy had merged with Sobek.

After inhaling the Egyptian God (and no, Annabeth was  _ not  _ about to let her mind go into detail about that because  _ eww _ ) the Daughter of Athena had rushed to her boyfriends side only to find that his eyes- his beautiful sea green eyes- were now glowing an inhuman yellow, with twin black slits down their center. It had only been for a moment, but Annabeth would never forget that feral look.

The hand that draped across her shoulder made her jump. Percy blinked at the reaction but allowed that signature goofy-yet-somehow-serious smile to grace his lips. “I’m still me.”

Annabeth took a deep breath, holding it for five seconds before releasing it. “Good.” She smiled. “Let’s try to keep it that way.” 

The kiss was perfect: All of Percy’s kisses were, in Annabeth’s mind (yes, even the overly cheesy, smacky smooches). But this one was slow and passionate, Percy’s hand winding around to comb through her thick locks. Annabeth lost herself in it, the noises of the Argo III fading away as she relished this moment that was solely theirs. And when Percy finally pulled away there was no doubt in her mind that this was her Percy, her boyfriend.

“Hey lovebirds!” Leo called from the control console, grinning down at them. “Might want to get inside- it’s about to get pretty windy up here.”

With a hand still on her shoulder Percy waved to the younger boy in acknowledgement. “C’mon,” he said to her. “Lets go see what the Kanes are doing.”

The Kanes, as it so happened, had taken over the dining room.

A dozen books were littered around the metal table, with the Book of Thoth residing in the place of prominence next to Carter. Sadie was bent over a piece of papyrus with hand-scrawled phrases and words, many of which had been scratched through of scribbled out, only to be rewritten or reworded just below the original. Thanks to whatever spell Sadie had whispered in her ear during the battle with Setne, Annabeth could actually read a bit of the egyptian scrawl, the hieroglyphs translating into Greek symbols, the phrases to English.

“- and this phrase here needs to change.”

“Why? That one sounds perfectly fine to me.”

Carter sighed. “ _ Because, _ you can’t change the dependent clause without altering the  _ independent _ one as well. It’s a compound complex sentence, which means-”

“Okay okay, we’ll change it, Mr. Grammar Man.” The last two words were grumbled under Sadie’s breath, but still loud enough for her brother to hear, given from the way he glowered at the back of her head. Before he could comment, Sadie pointed at another line of hieroglyphs. “What about here?”

“No… that should be fine. I think.”

Percy coughed lightly to garner the siblings attention. “You think?” He echoed.

“Yes.” Carter met the older boy’s gaze unflinchingly. “I  _ think _ . Just because I’ve read up on the subject of spell creation doesn’t mean I’ve mastered it. I just need some time to figure it out.”

“Well, you’ve got approximately twenty minutes.” Annabeth informed, just as the Argo III’s engines roared to life. Or maybe it was Festus who roared… the Daughter of Athena really couldn’t tell the difference at this point.

“In that case…” Carter raised his hands, placing two fingers on either side of his temple and chanting, “ _ Adeu Thoth litasrie eaqliin washahdh hawasi. _ ”

Thanks to the word Sadie had whispered into her ear when battling Setne, Annabeth’s mind automatically translated the spoken phrase:  _ I call upon Thoth to hasten my mind and sharpen my senses _ .

And Annabeth had thought her life was strange before.

Carter’s iris’ glowed a pale amber, a similar color haze lingering around the rims of his eyes. His hands moved to flip rapidly through the pages of multiple books simultaneously, eyes darting quickly from one to the next.

“What spell was that?” Sadie frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.”

Without breaking pace with his movements Carter responded, “The first spell I ever created from scratch. I was trying to perfect it before holding our first lesson in the art of spell scribing. Basically, it lets me read and comprehend written works at a much faster rate than normal.”

“Why not use that back in Camp Jupiter?” Annabeth blurted out of curiosity.

“Didn’t have the energy.” Carter replied simply.

“Figures,” His sister sighed, a smirk danging at her lips. “The first spell you made was one to help you read more books.”

One of the hands paused, mid-way through turning a page. “At least I  _ can _ create new spells.”

Sadie’s grin faltered but Percy interjected before the verbal sparring could continue. “Alright, enough of that. You two can argue and bicker once we’ve dealt with the crazy goddess. Is there anything we can help with, Carter?”

“I just need some peace and quiet. And maybe some more paper.”

“We’ll leave you to it, then.” And with that, Annabeth's boyfriend ushered them out of the room.

The Daughter of Athena’s gaze lingered on the Book of Thoth, the image of the thick tome silently reminding her of her promise. Her heart clenched at the thought of it, but she had made a vow, and she intended to see it through. In her peripheral vision, Annabeth noticed the younger Kane staring at her, then following her line of sight to the book. Looking away from the tome herself, Annabeth flashed a quick smile at the magician before following Percy.

“Well,” Her boyfriend said once they were out of the room. “I’m gonna go put on a new shirt. Can’t go meet Wonder Woman looking like I took a mud bath.” His clothes  _ were _ filthy, caked in dirt and sweat and soiled with scorch marks. The demigod took two steps towards his room before pausing and twisting back around on his heels, a sheepish look cast Annabeth’s way. “You wouldn’t have happened to have packed a, uh, extra set of clothes… would you?”

The Daughter of Athena couldn’t help but smirk. “Reyna gave me some extra shirts, said she knew just what kind of trouble we normally get into.”

Percy took a bounding step towards her, throwing his arms around her shoulders and planting an overly-dramatic kiss on her cheek. “You’re wonderful! What would I do without you?”

“Wear the same clothes for a week.” Annabeth muttered, despite the smile on her face.

“I wouldn’t get very far, that’s for sure.” Her boyfriend agreed with a hum.

While Percy went to change, Annabeth found herself not wanting to sit down at her computer and do research, rather wanting to walk. To move. To get the blood flowing to her brain that was still processing the events of the past few days and planning for the battle that was shortly to come.

So she let her feet wander on their own, her mind too preoccupied with other worries to care about  _ where _ she was going. First and foremost was the issue with Hathor; sure, Carter was working on a spell to defeat her, but battles had been won on Plan B’s, and right now they didn’t have one. An all-out hail mary seemed like the most feasible backup plan. Hathor was no Setne- mixing some spells should throw her off her game. On the other hand, Setne hadn’t been a god; not a full one, at any rate. Who knew if the spells would have the same magnitude of effect. Maybe they’d be even  _ more _ effective? There were too many variables for the Daughter of Athena to consider and accurately predict an outcome.

And then there was the problem of her promise to the Egyptian God of Music. A part of her hated what she’d agreed to do, while the logical side of her reasoned that it was actually a  _ good _ thing. A prickle of warmth interrupted her thoughts. More than a prickle, really, more of a wave of heat that rolled over her face and arms.

She looked up, finding herself in the engine room.

The mess of piping and gears was surprisingly quiet, considering just how  _ loud _ the rest of the ship could be. In the center off the mess of mechanics was the circular engine, a large water-heater-slash-boiler churning off to the left. A small glass window into the device showed the flames rolling about in its confines, glowing red-hot.

And sitting in front of it, the fire elementalist herself. Zia glanced up at Annabeth, hand outstretched towards the boiler. A little digital timer was placed on the floor beside her, the countdown clock displaying seven minutes and twelve seconds. There was a question in Zia’s eyes at the demigods entrance, but none leaving her lips, and instead the black haired girl flashed a tight-lipped smile. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Annabeth responded, scrabbling for some reason to explain why she had wandered into the bowels of Leo’s ship. “How, uh… how are you feeling?”

The fire elementalist rolled her wrist before flicking it back up towards her task. “On the record, I feel great.”

“And off the record?”

Zia shrugged. “I wouldn’t say no to a handful of advil and eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.”

“Wouldn’t we all.” The demigod chuckled. Awkward silence filled the room, stretching for a long time. Truth be told, Annabeth had no idea what else to say to the girl.

Of all of the magicians she’d met so far, Zia had proven to be the most collected. Sure, she could get annoyed at times- her training with Leo proving that the fire elementalist did indeed have a tolerance limit- and was fiercely protective of Carter (and as a fellow girlfriend to a stubborn, thickheaded significant other Annabeth could respect that). But so far, nothing had shown the Daughter of Athena that Zia didn’t think with her head first and heart second.

Really then, it only came as half a surprise to the demigod when, instead of turning to leave, Annabeth asked, “What do you think of the Book of Thoth?” And then immediately proceeded to mentally smack herself at the terrible wording of said question.

To her credit, Zia only paused for a beat to consider the out-of-nowhere inquiry. “It’s a powerful book of spells.” She replied slowly. “One which, in the right hands, could do a lot of good. And in the wrong, well…” Zia nodded in the general direction of outside. “You were there.”

“I was there.” Annabeth agreed. This time, the demigod did hesitate before continuing; her mind split down the middle as to whether or not she was  _ actually _ about to do this. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Makes me think the world might be safer with it gone.”

Zia’s eyes blinked in surprise, then narrowed in suspicion. “What are you getting at?” There was no harshness to the words, only blunt curiosity.

Annabeth leaned her back against the wall. “When Ihy told me Hathors secret name, he made me promise to give him something in return. Do something for him, more accurately.”

“He wants the book for himself?” Zia guessed.

“He wants the book destroyed. Once we’ve beaten Hathor, that is.”

Zia leaned forward with a hum, massaging her wrist for a moment. The fire elementalist stared at the flames within the boiler, watching them roll and flicker. Her gaze cast off into nothing, brows furrowed just enough for a small wrinkle to form between them.

“Do it.”

Annabeth blinked, mouth hanging open as the rebuttal argument as to  _ why _ destroying a super powerful spellbook was the right thing to do died on her tounge. “Really?”

“You sound surprised.” 

“I just- I thought you’d try to talk me out of it.” The demigod admitted. “I know Carter definitely would have and Sadie might as well.”

Zia huffed, extending her hand and re-meeting the Daughter of Athena’s gaze. “Oh, Carter would do everything in his power to keep you away from it if you told him. And Sadie would argue against it for sure. Both of them can appreciate the power in that book, and know the number of times it’s gotten them out of tough scrapes.”

“But you’re okay with it?” Honestly, Annabeth didn’t know why she was pressing the matter when she should be internally celebrating the fact that the elementalist was on her side.

“I grew up in the First Nome,” Zia explained in lieu of an answer. “I was taught magic under the tutelage of a a man who had lived through an era of dark magic, and had seen good magicians succumb to the pull of power. Carter and Sadie haven’t seen that darkness.” The elementalist took a breath. “That’s not to say that the Kanes haven’t met evil magicians- Setne is a prime example- but they haven’t experienced the loss of watching good men and women be corrupted by power. The Book of Thoth has only ever helped them save the world, so that’s all they really see. Not the potential for harm it can cause.”

Annabeth dipped her head in appreciation of the honest answer. “Thanks, I-” Her words died as a thought occurred to her. “If you guys have had the book before, why not just make copies of it?”

Zia snorted. “Oh, Carter tried, believe me. There are spells protecting the book from just that. Thoth isn’t the most trusting of gods, he always thinks someone is going to try to plagiarize his works so he made sure no one could. If you try to copy down the words your hand just writes jibberish. Photos will never be in focus, copy machines overcompensate the contrast. Stuff like that.”

“That’s annoying.”

“Sadie tells me that Carter was fuming for days.” Zia agreed. The little clock next to the elementalist chimed twice, the timer having run out. Standing with a stretch, the magician turned to the door. “We should be arriving soon.”

On cue, the engine’s high pitched whine lowered to a deep rumble.

The two girls headed up to the deck, walking side by side down the narrow hallways. Annabeth found her thoughts strangely calm, despite the nerves shooting adrenalin through her system at the prelude of another fight. She might not like what she had to do, but she had to do it (even if it broke her heart to see such incredible knowledge destroyed). And knowing that at least one of the magicians wasn’t going to immediately hate her for it was a strange sort of comfort to the demigod.

The others were already there when the girls arrived. Carter and Sadie having drawn up the summoning circle with their colorful chalk. The older Kane nodded to them, flashing a smile the elentalists way, before holding out a rolled up piece of parchment to Annabeth.

“Sadie has the other.” He explained as the Daughter of Athena took the scroll. “If all goes well, you won’t have to use it- but just in case…”

“Plan B.” Annabeth supplied with a nod, tucking the papyrus into her belt carefully. If normal Egyptian magic wan’t enough to seal the goddess, then maybe the combined Greek-Egyptian hybrid spell would.

Summoning the portal was much faster this time around (probably due to the correct type of conduit, Annabeth’s mind gandered) and it only took a moment before Leo was guiding the Argo III into the swirling blue sand vortex.Percy moved closer to her, his hand finding hers and squeezing it. It was meant to be reassuring, but Annabeth involuntarily tensed as the warm sand closed in around them, mentally bracing herself for a repeat of what happened last time. She needen’t have worried. The spell held strong under the combined balanced magic of the group, transporting them out of the Texas hillside.

And into a warzone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thank for reading!
> 
> Ah.... peace of mind... for now ;) Gotta go now- we get to talk about peer reviewed sources and citing information when you don't use a source. Fun.
> 
> Have a great weekend everyone! And I'll be back on Sunday with the next update!  
> <3


	34. A Tale of Two Goddesses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle for the London Needle begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I wanted to apologize for not getting back to everyone who commented on previous chapters and thank those who did leave comments for the encouraging words. I promise I'll be responding to them tomorrow morning :)
> 
> We've arrived at the final setpiece. By the end of this week the story will be complete. Crazy to think how fast it ends, no? What took me two years to write only took me a few months to post.
> 
> Eh, but who cares about that, right? :P
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Carter POV)**

Of all the gods in the Egyptian pantheon, Hathor had to be one of the most bizzare (and coming from a group of deities that included a literal basket-ball playing baboon god, that was saying something). I was well versed on all of the gods mythos- a necessity in my eyes (and way too much reading in Sadie’s)- so I knew a good deal about the goddess of love and beauty, as well as her bloodthirsty alter-ego: Sekhmet.

My sister and I had actually met Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess, a few years back. Granted, she’d tried to kill us, but that’s pretty much par for the course so we weren’t all that surprised. We managed to beat her thanks to Sadie’s quick thinking (yes, Sadie, that was a compliment, no need to gloat) and a lot of salsa. Like, a _lot_ a lot. The end result was that the war-craving, vengeful goddess transformed back into her calm, humanity-loving personality. And that was that.

Or so we’d thought.

Like I said, I’ve done extensive research into the gods after being introduced to a word where myths and legends are reality. I found that, a few thousand years ago, Ra had sealed Sekhmet in the Duat for slaughtering entire provinces without permission. A seal that many magicians and _Sem_ Priests believed to still be intact. I didn’t think much of it until a few years later, when we fought side by side with the gods- including Sekhmet- against Aphopis.

It took about a month for my mind to make the inquiry as to why a supposedly sealed goddess was free; and at first I figured someone had just broken her seal. But a quick trip to Central Park disproved that theory, and so I began pondering others.

Eventually I confronted Anubis about it and he confirmed my thought that Hathor and Sekhmet were not actually one and the same: but rather two different goddesses that were linked to each other. One was trapped in Cleopatra's needle, while the other roamed the world. As one began to take on the personality traits of the other, they would essentially switch places. When Hathor was free, Sekhmet was trapped, and vice versa.

In a way, Hathor was like The Hulk. When she got angry, she turned into Sekhmet and destroyed just about everything in sight. But when she calmed down, Hathor would return. Only in this analogy, The Hulk and Bruce Banner were in two different bodies.

_“We need her power.” Anubis answered plainly, the words slipping from Walts mouth._

_I was still trying to get used to the fact that my friend was now a permanent host for the God of Death. It had only been a few weeks since defeating the Chaos Snake and I had been helping Cleo restore the books in our library when the inquiry arose._

_“There are always some battles that require additional… dynamism.”_

_“The word you’re looking for is firepower.” I corrected, a frown tugging at my lips. “But isn’t that dangerous? Letting Sekhmet out with no way to get her to go back into her prison?”_

_“There were contingencies.” Anubis dipped Walt’s head in acknowledgement. “The other gods knew how to calm Sekhmet down after a battle so that Hathor would return, and Sekhmet would be sent back to her cage.”_

_My fingers drummed on the newly repaired kitchen table. “And what if Hathor started to turn back? Into Sekhmet.” I clarified._

_“The lion goddess is strong,” Anubis’ (Walts? Gods this was weird) eyes flashed dangerously. “But do not underestimate the power of the others in the pantheon. None may have as much finesse as Sekhmet, but together we are strong enough to control her bloodlust.”_

_“R-right.” I cleared my throat, fidgeting a bit uncomfortable under his soul-piercing stare. As I turned to go, a thought struck me and I looked back. “So who’s in the needle now?”_

_“What?”_

_“If all of the gods were forced to retreat like Aphopis, who’s trapped in the needle now: Hathor or Sekhmet?”_

Anubis hadn’t had an answer for me back then. Now, of course, the answer was clear. And as it turned out, the goddess of love and maternity did _not_ take kindly to being trapped in an obelisk for the past year or so.

We slipped out of the portal and into central London. Or... what _used_ to be central London.

Red tendrils of energy snaked and slithered along the ground like real-life navigation direction, twisting down the streets and roadways. Half of the bridges along the Thames river were demolished, buildings were reduced to rubble and innumerous upturned trees lie withered on their sides: branches bare and thin as if something had sucked all of the life from their limbs. I watched as one wrapped itself around the base of a tree and within moments nothing remained but a shriveled husk of bark.

A light pulsated from the end of the coil, racing back along its body from the tip, where a persisting glow- like a head or an eye- was visible. The roots of each tendril converged on a single location a few blocks north of the Needle. It was there that flashes of light and blasts of magic lit up the night. Shimmering shields of all colors flickered in and out of existence as the fight raged on. But the goddess’s slow advance moved steadily closer to her goal: A shimmering golden dome twice the size of the one Sadie and Annabeth had created was surrounding the needle and the surrounding block.

The dome pulsed with light, the amber wave spreading outwards from the perimeter and sweeping over London. Wherever it came in contact with the red energy, the tendrils would retract and dim, only to move forwards again, seeking out more forms of life to consume.

A number of the energy coils had identified the dome as the originator of the magic and had turned on it. A half dozen branches of red swarming up the side of the dome, searching for a way into the impenetrable barrier.

“Leo!” I called over my shoulder, recognising some figures inside the magical wall. “Put us down there. Next to the dome.” 

I felt more than saw Sadie step up to my side. “Walt’s down there.” She said, eyes trained on the bright flashes and loud booming noises in the not-too-distant-distance. She was doing her best to school her voice. I doubt anyone else would’ve picked up on the slight wobble of concern, but I’m her brother, it’s kind of my job to notice things like that (despite how much Sadie insists I’m an oblivious doofus).

My hand worked its way up to rest on Sadie’s shoulder. “He is.” I agreed. “But he’ll be fine. He is _your_ boyfriend after all. I think putting up with _you_ is ten times harder than fighting a rampaging goddess.”

Sadie shoved my shoulder with a huff, but there was a upwards tug at her lips. “We’re gonna need a lot of salsa.”

It was my turn to snort at the joke. The humor was short lived however, as I felt a sort of… pull, on my magic. It was like there was a string attached to my core, and it was tugging me towards the ground. Sadie must’ve felt it too, because we both took a half step back from the railing.

With all the speed of a horror movie villain, the red coils attacking the dome below slowly shifted to point up at the ship. They remained frozen for a moment, as if caught between their current objective and the new one that now presented itself. Then they began to stretch upwards to meet the descending Argo III.

“Oh no you don’t!” Leo chastised, having noticed their approach. “Festus! Let’s show ‘em what you’re made of!”

Festus roared in agreement, happily whirring as the defense mechanisms of the Argo III spurned to life.

I watched in fascination as the shields along the bulwark rotated from vertical to horizontal, pointing down at the approaching enemy. There was a low hum that steadily grew in pitch, the center dimpling of each shield glowing with a bright, neon green.

“Fire!” Leo shouted, slamming his palm down on a console control and immediately proceeding to cackle in a way I could only describe as maniacal. “Pun _fully_ intended!”

 _Pun?_ I frowned, but only for a millisecond as jets of green fire shot out from each centerpoint. Liquid fire that cascaded down upon the unsuspecting crimson coils of energy. Where the two met, plumes of grey-green smoke twisted into the air. The red tendrils flinched back, writhing as the green fire slowly spread along their form. As the coils flailed, bits of the green fire were shot off, landing on nearby rubble piles and buildings. To my surprise, the emerald flames then began to _burn_ through the solid stone.

In my peripherals I saw Annabeth’s eyes widen and she whirled on the mechanic. “LEO! What in the name of _Zeus_ -”

“Cool your jets, Owl Girl, it’s all under control. Firecracker, you’re up!”

“If you call me by one more _ridiculous_ nickname-” Zia growled, moving to the port side. “I will burn your eyebrows off.”

“ _That_ was a joke, right? _Right_?”

Our gazes met and I shook my head mouthing the words ‘Not a joke’. My eyebrows had met similar fates on multiple occasions.

Leo made no more quips as my girlfriend extended her hands, curling her fingers towards the fading stars. The fire below shuddered in its progress. Then, in one swift motion, Zia rotated her wrists a hundred and eighty degrees, splaying her fingers out and downwards.

The response was instantaneous, all of the stray conflagrations extinguishing while the ones connected with Hathor’s tendrils of energy raced along the crimson bodies, all the way back to the source. In the wake of the fire the tendrils lie shrivelled and blackened, a few still twitching fruitlessly, but otherwise prone.

Zia returned her hands to fists, stepping back and releasing a slow breath. There was sweat beading on her forehead that she quickly wiped away. “You’re clear to land.” She informed Leo.

I couldn’t help but stare at my incredible girlfriend. “Wow…”

Zia just smirked in my direction.

The mechanic shot her a thumbs up. “Nice going, Firecr- I m-mean, uh, Zia.”

As the Argo III descended to the left of the golden dome, Annabeth stalked up to the control console. “And _when_ did you decide to install _Greek fire_ flamethrowers onto the ship? More importantly, when were you planning on _telling us_?”

“Hey, it was _Zia’s_ idea…”

I tuned out Leo’s answer as we landed, squinting as two figures ran out from the relative protection shimmering shied. Well, one of them ran, the other just walked at a slightly brisk pace. Sadie leaned over the railing and an ear to ear smile split her face as she waved down at Walt. My second in command raised a hand in return and Sadie’s face instantly looked like an ice cream cone on a summer day in south Florida: all gooey and gross.

While I was happy to find that my friend was very much so alive and well, I couldn’t help but scowl at the other robed magician sauntering towards us like she owned the world.

“Latoya.” I greeted cooly once we’d disembarked.

The head of the Ninth Nome looked the worse for wear: her robes smudged and stained, and her hair slipping from it’s neat bun to fall in short frizzles along her face. We probably looked just as rough, having come from a fight ourselves, but it still gave me immense satisfaction to see the haughty magician looking more like a single mom after a long day of work.

“Carter Kane.” The _Sem_ Priest replied in kind. “I see you’ve shared the secrets of _Ma’at_ with even more degenerates.”

The Greeks bristled slightly at the insult but I beat them to it. “In the Twenty-first Nome we call them ‘friends’.”

“And we also don’t insult people who come to save your butts.” Sadie added, folding her arms. “Instead we say ‘thank you’.”

Letoya hissed out a breath between her lips. “I will admit, we were… inadequately prepared for Hathor’s rise. The assistance of your nome has been… _suitable_ .” The last word left the _Sem_ Priests lips almost reluctantly, as if her very being was loath to utter such words of thanks to another Nome.

“You’re welcome.” I responded to the unoffered thanks, cutting of my sister’s retort. As much as I could justify Sadie’s snarkiness towards Latoya, we had bigger issues to resolve. “What’s the situation with Hathor?”

It was Walt who answered. “Latoya sent a team of their strongest magicians to confront Hathor directly, the others are busy dealing with the essence reavers; what we’re calling those red tendrils. We’ve managed to destroy a few, but Hathor keeps regenerating them each time she notices they’re gone.”

“How _are_ you killing them?” Percy asked. “They don’t grow back like hydra heads, do they?”

“No.” Walt shook his head. “You have to sever the eye- the glowing bit at the end of each coil. But our spells aren’t doing much damage to them, and we can’t get too close because if you do-”

“It sucks the life out of you.” Annabeth interrupted. “We saw.”

“Right.” Walt agreed. “Only it’s not just life, they’re also draining the mages power, and feeding it directly to Hathor. That’s why the frontal assault isn’t going well. Every time we manage to push Hathor back, or strike a blow, the reavers just replenish what she lost.”

“All the meanwhile your magicians are expending their magic without a way to recharge their batteries, so to speak.” Percy surmised. “You have to send your people out to stop her but each time you send out more, she just uses them to fuel herself. That’s a real Catch-22.”

Leo blinked at his fellow demigod. “I can’t believe you know what that is!”

Percy’s cheeks turned pink. “Hey, I read the book! Or… the sparknotes version of it.”

“Where are the others now?” I asked, directing the question about my fellow initiates to Walt.

“I have Felix, Cleo, and Jaz manning the barrier.” He said, jerking a thumb over towards the golden dome. I called some of the others but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to make it in time. There aren’t exactly many portals in London.”

“Don’t we know it.” I huffed. “Alright. Here’s what we’ll do: Step one is taking care of Hathor’s essence reavers while she’s distracted by the Ninth Nome’s mages. Latoya, see if you can round up any of your spare people, we’re going to need them to-”

“Are you trying to give _me_ orders?” The _Sem_ Priest interrupted, eyes narrowing. “We are one of the oldest and most respected Nomes in the House of Life, and I’ll be dammed if I let a _Kane_ tell us what to do.”

My lip curled in annoyance. Seriously, what was it with the other Nomes! Why couldn’t they get it through their thick skulls that we’re trying to _help_ them. Not make some stupid power play. Nothing we did ever seemed to please them, not even when we saved the world. No, it was always ‘The Kanes want to destroy our way of life,’ or ‘The Kanes are too power hungry,’ or ‘The Kanes started the apocalypse’ (although the last one was _technically_ true, it still wasn’t really our fault).

My mounting frustration faded when a weight landed lightly on my shoulder and squeezed gently. I glanced over at Percy, who had stepped up to my side, and the angry words I’d been about to unleash on the ungrateful _Sem_ Priest died in my throat.

I was letting my frustration get the better of me, again. And arguing back and forth with the head of the Ninth Nome wasn’t going to get us anywhere. I was just tired of being treated like a kid (and sure, maybe I _was_ still a minor but that was besides the point). It dawned on me then that maybe the reason the other adults treated us like kids was because we hadn’t had the chance to show them otherwise. Thinking back on our other experiences with the nomes… yeah, we weren’t always the mature ones (Sadie being _especially_ immature at times).

It was time to prove that wasn’t the case.

Upon seeing Percy, Latoya visibly flinched back, swallowing visibly. Her dark brown eyes blew wide and the very blatant _fear_ in them gave me an idea.

“I’m not _trying_ to give you orders.” I relaxed my posture, raising my chin ever so slightly. “But I _am_ giving you a choice. Just like I did a few days ago when asking for the Book of the Dead. You didn’t want to help me then, and if you don’t want to help me now that’s fine. But we will do what we have to, just as we always have: the rules of the Nome be damned.”

Latoya’s focus shifted back to me. “You would go against us, _again_ , just to have your way?”

“In order to save the world? Yes. Now are you with us or not?”

Our staring contest persisted for far longer than necessary. Latoya’s dark hazel eyes searching my own while I could all but see the gears turning in her head as she considered my proposal. I met the inquiring look with staunch resolve. For all of the truth in my words about bypassing her authority, fighting a war on two fronts was not something we could do: we couldn’t afford for Latoya and her forces to oppose us.

The pregnant silence was broken by the _Sem_ Priest.

“It is as you say. Saving the world takes priority.” Her words were heavy as she conceded. “What would you have the Ninth Nome do?”

I laid out our strategy. “Call back the frontal assault. Set up as many barriers as you can around the shard’s perimeter. Layer them, if you have to; we’re going to let Hathor get as close to the needle as she wants without letting her have it.”

“But why-”

“Because,” I cut off Latoya’s question before it could be asked, having already anticipated her concern. “We’re going to be the next attack wave. While Hathor is busy trying to break through your defenses, we’ll be free to destroy the essence reavers.” I gestured to Sadie and my friends. “She won’t be getting injured, so the fact that she’s not being replenished by the tendrils won’t be a surprise.”

“That way when we confront her for real she won’t be able to regenerate her power.” Annabeth added, having picked up on the plan.

“Exactly.” I nodded. “And she won’t regenerate the reavers if she doesn’t know they’re gone. Walt- go get Felix and Cleo, we’ll need their help. Latoya- I’ll let you dictate how you want the barriers set up, and Jaz will be there to help with whatever injuries your advance team may have sustained. Now go! We have to act fast.”

I watched Walt run off towards the dome, with Latoya following closely after; her pace more hurried than it was coming out to greet us. Releasing a breath, I ran a hand down my face, trying to get all of my thoughts in order.

Percy’s hand squeezed my shoulder again, a reassuring gesture before he dropped it down to his side. “Good job.” Was all he said, offering me a smile that spoke volumes more than the two said aloud.

“Yeah,” I huffed out a light laugh, “It almost sounded like I knew what I was doing.”

“So what’s our game plan?” Annabeth asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

I smiled, reaching for my satchel. “That’s where things get interesting.”

* * *

There was one part of my strategy that I neglected to share with Latoya.

I threw up a shield as the reaver we were fighting swiped at me. The red coil slammed into the side with enough force to crack the magical protective barrier, but it held. “ _Sa-hei!_ ” I commanded, channeling the divine word for _bring down_ through my hand. The hieroglyph burned gold in the air as the street light I’d aimed at toppled, the thick metal rod falling squarely across the reaver.

“Now!” I shouted.

The nearest fire hydrant blasted open, water spraying out over the street and, consequently, the lampost. Percy’s voice echoed from down the street. “ _Sea-kebab!_ ” 

I mentally smacked myself as he said it like he was announcing dinner. “It’s _Se-ke_ beb _!_ ” I corrected. “Not kebab!”

“Oh, right. _Se-kebeb!_ ”

The water on either side of the lampost froze, sealing the metal rod to the concrete and pinning the reaver with it. The end of the tendril facing me didn’t even seem to notice or care that it’s lower half was stuck, the coil pulsing with a red light before whacking my barrier again, doing its best to break my defense and consume my essence.

All according to plan. “Felix! Go!”

Jumping out from his hiding spot behind an overturned car, Felix let out a yell of valor and charged the trapped section of the tendril, holding Percy’s sword high above his head like an executioners axe. His small army of ice penguins tromped behind him, three of them breaking off while the other two flanked the blonde seven year old.

As Felix slashed at the trapped section- Percy’s blade easily cutting though the red energy- the reaver turned on him. It twisted around, glowing a deep red as it prepared to lunge. I dropped my shield, preparing to throw it back up around Felix, when the reaver flinched and did a complete one-eighty.

I caught a brief glimpse of Felix’s penguins (the ones who had split off) mercilessly stabbing the other side of the tendril before the reaver crushed them with one blow. Chunks of ice flew across the street, pelting into windows and the sides of walls.

Felix had cut almost all the way through the trapped section when the reaver snapped around with enough speed to crack the air like a whip. I threw up a shield around our youngest initiate at the same time Percy yelled, “ _Sa-hei!_ ”

The same hieroglyph as before flashed a brilliant purple over the reaver itself, forcing the crimson coil to crash into the concrete.

I blinked in surprise. That wasn’t one of the spells I had given Percy.

With one last slash of the sword, Felix severed the reaver, the entire length of the tendril convulsing as the red glow dimmed along its length. When at last the reaver lie still, Felix whooped loudly, brandishing Percy’s sword in the air.

“Another one vanquished!” The kid shouted, the two remaining penguins at his side squawking in celebration.

I wiped sweat from my forehead, smiling at the enthusiasm. It might be the end of the world as we know it, but Felix was just as cheerful as ever. Percy made his way over to us, casting a wary gaze towards the celebrating penguins.

“Please be careful with my sword,” He told Felix, before turning to me. “I think that was the last one in our section.”

I nodded. “We should go help the others.” My eyes looked towards the north and east sections of London, seeing faint flashes of color as the others cleared the reavers in their areas.

We had split up to cover more ground; Walt and Sadie to the east, Annabeth and Cleo to the North, Percy, Felix and I to the west. There was a burst of neon green from above, and my focus shifted to the flying Greek ship hovering over the north section of the city. And that would be my girlfriend and Leo, covering our backs from the air.

Before I could suggest running to the aid of our allies, I felt a familiar tug at the center of my chest.

“There’s one more!” I shouted, moments before the building to our left shattered in a cloud of dust and bricks.

We all stumbled back as a second reaver slithered through the rubble, aiming directly for me. Percy pulled out one of the remaining scrolls I had handed out to him and Annabeth, calling out the spell on the page: “ _Khe-fa_!”

A giant purple fist materialized over the reavers eye, smashing it into the ground with enough force to leave a sizeable crater in the street. While it was dazed, I reached into my satchel, pulling out the vial Leo had given each group for, quote ‘emergency use _only_ ’, and lobbing it at the reaver.

I missed.

The tendril shifted to the side at the last second and the glass shattered in the crater, Greek fire blazing a vivid emerald as it ate away at the concrete around it, creating a flaming pit of death.

Before I even had time to bemoan my poor pitching skills, the reaver struck out again, lurching towards me. I barely managed to dodge out of the way, but even with my quick reflexes, the tendril grazed my leg.

The spot it touched burned cold, and I gasped as it stole the breath from my lungs, bending slightly at the waist.

“Look out!”

“N’Dah!”

I raised my head just in time to see a sun yellow barrier flicker into existence between me and the reaver. But Felix had never been especially good with divine words, and the coil smashed through the ragtag protection with ease. The motion carried through and the full force of the reaver slammed into my chest, sending me flying.

I felt the feeling of weightlessness for all of two seconds before my nerves registered just how painfully frigid it was where the tendril had connected. My thoughts narrowed to that single point of focus, feeling a sizeable portion of my remaining magic drain from my core.

My body crashed into something cool and wet, and it took my mind a moment to process that I was surrounded by water. The world became muffled and blurred more so than my brain was already making it. Through the liquid sphere I blearily saw Percy lower his outstretched arm; my water cushion following suit until I was on the ground.

The demigod released his control of the element, returning me to the world of air. But it was all I could do to curl around my chest, trying to will away the intense cold.

I was vaguely aware the Percy and Felix were trying to get to me while stopping the reaver. Blasting it with geysers of water and shards of ice. But the crimson coil soon filled my vision as it rose up, red eye publishing bright.

“Carter, catch!”

I looked over as Felix used both hands to fling Percy’s sword at me. My instinctive panic of being accidentally impaled vanished as the blade retracted, transforming back into a pen as it sailed through the air. Through a feat of dexterity that I didn’t realize I was even capable of, I managed to snatch the pen out of the air, click the end, and heaved the celestial bronze edge in a sweeping arc towards the reaver as it descended on me.

The blade was perfectly balanced in my hand, thrumming with a foreign energy as it sliced through the tendril. I put every ounce of strength I had behind the swing, feeling the blade cut deep, and then emerge out the other side. The reaver dropped, thudding at my feet while the eyes rolled off to my left. I stared at the coil as it slowly dimmed, twitching slightly, Percy’s sword still in my hand just in case it wasn’t _really_ dead.

Only once I was sure that the reaver was gone did I drop the pen/sword and lean back on the concrete and close my eyes. I focused on my breathing, taking slow inhales and attempting to calm my racing heart.

“You okay?”

I pried one eye open to look up at Percy, whose face was currently upside down in my field of view. “Let’s not do that again.”

The demigod chuckled, “Agreed. No dying today.” He said, offering me a hand up.

“No dying today.” I echoed, accepting the offer to pull myself up.

Felix was gaping at me as I brushed myself off. His sky blue eyes blown wide. “That. Was. AWESOME!” He grinned from ear to ear, bouncing in place. “You were all like, _Ahhhh_ , and then I was like, _huwaaa!_ And then you grabbed it and went _whoosh!_ ” He karate chopped his hand through the air, grinning way too big for someone fighting an apocalypse. Felix’s summoned penguins mirroring him as best they could with flippers. I couldn’t hold back a chortle at the sight, my spirits lifting even as my body reminded me how sore it was. I rubbed at my chest, as if I could somehow restore warmth to the area, wincing as my bruised ribs made themselves known. Percy bent to retrieve the inconspicuous pen-turned-sword, returning it to it’s smaller form and pocketing the weapon as Festus roared once, then twice, and a third time all in the span of a few seconds.

“That’s the signal.” Percy said upon hearing the noise. “That was the last of the reavers. Time to turn on Wonder Woman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> 2 chapters left! Thanks again to everyone who left comments and kudos- again, I'll be responding to them tomorrow morning :)
> 
> Until Tuesday!  
> <3


	35. Seeing Red (And A Bunch of Other Colors)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demigods and Magicians versus Hathor.
> 
> Or: The Final Showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> So- I've gone FAR too long without giving a proper shoutout to Angellight36. This person has been a CONSTANT and REPEAT reviewer and I cannot thank them ENOUGH for all of the encouragement and support they've shown for this story <3 Everyone reading this and enjoying it owes you a hug and a high five because you are am amazing force of nature as a reader. Thanks so much from the bottom of my heart :D
> 
> Alright. On to the final chapters- the next one is really more of an epilogue.
> 
> Also... sorry in advance about a certain anklebiter...  
> That is all. Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Percy POV)**

Percy was feeling pretty optimistic, all things considering.

So far Carter’s strategy was working- Hathor hadn’t noticed the loss of her essence reavers, or at least, hadn’t cared enough to summon more of them. And given Leo’s signal, the others had been successful in clearing their own sectors of the city.

Now all that remained was to take down Hathor- like one final boss in a videogame.

The Son of Poseidon glanced over his shoulder, slowing his pace a tad. They’d been jogging back to the Needle for the past seven minutes, but Percy’d noticed the older Kane’s steps lagging slightly as the distance continued to grow. Now the kid was visibly panting, one hand massaging his side.

Carter met Percy’s concerned gaze and huffed. “I’m fine.” He said before the demigod could pose a question, panting out, “I just…  _ hate _ running.”

“That’s because you spend too much time reading books.” Felix quipped, turning around to run backwards. “Sadie says it all the time.”

“Well Sadie… can shut up… about my workout schedule.” Carter grumbled. “I’m perfectly… healthy.”

“Still slower than me.”

Carter leveled a glare at the younger magician, to which Felix just laughed. Percy watched the exchange with a fond grin of his own. Man, but the Egyptians were growing on him. If nothing else the older demigod could appreciate their aire of youthful innocence (even though he knew these ‘kids’ had saved the world themselves a handful of times). It made him feel old.

…  _ Was _ he old?

Regardless, he was impressed. Carter, though inexperienced, would clearly make a noble leader; he was smart and resourceful, not to mention a good study with that curved sword of his. Sadie was strong in her own right; not as learned as her brother but quick on her feet, adaptive to the situation. The other magicians were similarly admirable. Felix was proof of that, no older than nine but easily picking up on and applying the techniques Percy’d shown him only a day ago.

Percy kind of understood why Chiron loved teaching so much.

Okay…  _ now _ he sounded old.

“Hey slowpoke, pick up the pace!” Percy blinked out of his thoughts, realizing he’d fallen behind the Egyptian mages. Felix waved him on, “At this rate, Carter will beat you there- and that’s just sad.”

“For Ras sake…. I am  _ not _ that slow!”

By the time their group made it back to the needle, the sky was beginning to lighten, the sunrise abnormally bright. The scene at the Needle would’ve been funny, if not for the impending doom of the goddess. Hathor’s form had grown in size, the horned wonder woman now easily the size of a small house. Which made it almost comical to see her pounding on the golden dome like an errant child demanding to be let in: hysterically yelling at the mages within the protective barrier to stop being so annoying and to just let her kill them already.

It was a wonder why they would refuse such a reasonable offer.

The goddesses temper tantrum wasn’t without consequences, however. With every slam of her fist against the dome, spider web cracks spread out along the barrier. The London mages quickly stepped up to repair the damage but they had their limits, and unfortunately, it had taken them longer than Percy had hoped to clear the reavers. The dome itself had shrunk considerably from it’s impressive scale earlier: now barely large enough to surround the needle and the small park area around it.

Across the way, Percy glimpsed the others reaching the edge of the block. Sadie flashed her brother a thumbs up from where she and Walt were crouched behind a park bench. Annabeth and Cleo just nodded from their position next to one of the nearby buildings: Annabeth’s eyes quickly scanning over him for injuries. Percy did the same, letting out a soft sigh of relief upon seeing she was unharmed aside from a few bruises. The Son of Poseidon then glanced up at the Argo III, hovering almost directly overhead and being completely ignored by the frenzied goddess: all Hathor cared about was getting to the needle.

It was time.

The sun crested the horizon as Percy drew Riptide, the sky alight with burning amber and violet hues. Even without being well versed in Egyptian lore, Percy could feel that there was something different about this sunrise- the whole world seemed to brighten with a supernatural warmth that was more emotional than physical. A sort-of peaceful wave of strength and power radiating from the majestic sight.

Carter met his gaze, and Percy knew he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed: Ra’s solar ride had begun. The demigod and the magician exchanged silent nods before standing as one. Across the way, Annabeth, Sadie, Walt, and Cleo did the same, brandishing their various weaponry at the goddess with grim determination.

It was now or never.

Festus roared- giving the signal, the monstrous sound finally drawing the goddesses attention away from the needle and skywards. Hathor raised a hand to shield her eyes against the dawn, peering up at the ship with a frown at the same time that Sadie and Walt made their move. Twin cires of “ _ Tas _ !” reverberated over the clearing, a pair of ropes shooting towards the goddess and wrapping themselves around her right wrist. Hathor snarled down at the magical bindings, no longer interested in the ship hovering above as she reached her free hand out to rip them off.

But she was too slow. “ _ Drowah _ !” Carter flung out his palm, creating a small barrier around his sister’s bindings.

Hathor’s focus shifted once again as she whirled, frenzied dark eyes locking onto the trio. “Kanes.” She hissed. In one fluid motion, she unclipped the lasso from her belt and cracked the thick golden chord at them.

Percy rolled to one side, Carter and Felix jumping the other way just in time to avoid the attack. The whip slammed into the ground, smashing through solid concrete with ease. Percy made a mental note to avoid getting hit by that. Hathor yelled in frustration, trying to yank her right hand forwards. The bindings around her wrist snapped taught, Sadie and Walt grunting as they strained to hold the goddess; feet skidding on the pavement as they pulled back on their end of the rope with renewed efforts in their version of a godly tug-of war. Before she could try again, Annabeth was on top of her.

Literally.

While the goddess had been fixated on them, Cleo had created a path of hovering hazel disks climbing into the air for Annabeth to run on. The Daughter of Athena leaped from the last one with precision, her dagger digging into Hathor’s left shoulder. The blade bit and held, the goddess shrieking as golden sand began seeping from the wound. She twisted, trying to reach around and fling Annabeth from her back, the demigod holding on grimly as Hathor stumbled around.

“Felix, now!” Percy yelled, as he and Carter began moving.

The Son of Poseidon heard the young magician began chanting, the air turning colder around them as ice fractals covered the concrete beneath Hathor. The already staggering goddess was thrown completely off kilter by the slippery surface that was now underfoot, left arm pinwheeling as she tried to keep her feet.

Percy channeled his own powers, reaching for the basic properties of water within Felix’s ice magic. Even though he’d never done anything like this before, or even considered it to be a possibility of his demi-godly gifts, his gut told him it would work. And so, without hesitation, Percy raised his hand up, channeling the ice below he and Carter to rise, propelling them into the air. The frozen water responded, launching them up in a geyser of ice.

Carter let loose a shout as they arced towards the goddess, surprise instantly changing to understanding as they reached the apex of their ascent. The path of their fall intersected with the goddesses lower half, the two swordsmen slicing their respective blades- one curved and one straight- across Hathors upper thigh.

The rampaging goddess cried out in agony, falling to her knees.

Annabeth used the moment to drop safely down to the ground, sliding up besides Percy. She held the dagger defensively, even as grey eyes flicked to him. “How did you know-”

“I didn’t.”

“Then what were you thinking would-”

“I wasn’t.”

Annabeth blinked, then huffed out a small laugh. “Of course you weren’t, Seaweed Brain.” The Daughter of Athena then turned her attention back to the goddess. “Let’s finish this. Sadie!”

“Ready!” The younger Kane called back. Together, the girls began chanting Carter’s modified spell, Annabeth in Greek, Sadie in Egyptian. Silver hieroglyphs and blue Greek symbols began to swirl around the goddess.

On her knees, golden sand pooling below her and right hand still held up by the rope bindings, Hathor’s tantrum only continued to grow. “No… No no no no! I don’t wanna go back! You can’t make me- I won’t  _ let _ you! I don’t wanna go back, I don’t wanna- I  _ wont _ !” She screeched, left hand pounded the frozen concrete, cracking the ice. “You can’t make me! You  _ can’t _ ! I won’t go back there, I-”

Hathor’s ranting cut off abruptly, her gaze locking onto something in the distance.

The sun. It had completely risen above the horizon now, casting it’s brilliance over the ravaged city. Something flickered across the goddesses face, a brief look of longing that was replaced half a second later by a familiar emotion Percy could recognize on any godly being: Fury.

Hathor’s chest heaved with heavy breaths, face scrunching up in rage as she screamed “ENOUGH!”

Then everything went to Hades.

A concussive blast radiated out from the goddess, tossing Percy, Annabeth, and Carter back; Annabeth’s chanting ceased as she struggled to retain her footing. The earth trembled, and it was only Carter’s shouted warning to “ _ Move _ !” and Percy’s naturally quick instincts that prevented him from being impaled as dozens upon dozens of glowing red spikes- all of varying lengths and diameters- erupted from the ground. There was the sound of glass shattering followed by an explosive  _ CRACK  _ as the fragile barrier protecting the needle was destroyed, the golden dome dusting away.

Annabeth hissed in pain behind him and Percy whirled to see his girlfriend pressing a hand to her upper forearm, a thin rivulet of red seeping between tan fingers. His heart immediately leapt into his throat as he hurried to her side. But before he could even pose the question, she was already answering it.

“I’m okay.” Annabeth reassured, having already inspected the cut. “It’s just a flesh wound.” Still, she winced as she applied pressure, grey eyes glancing around them. “Where are the others?”

“I don’t know.” Percy answered truthfully, casting about for their friends.

The golden ropes holding Hathor had been pierced, but from where they hung limply, the demigod could guess that Sadie and Walt were somewhere to their right; a forest of spikes blocking his view of them. Carter had been closer to the goddess, and Percy could see his mop of curly brown hair as the Kane regained his feet.

Hathor herself wasn’t too terribly hard to find, the seven foot horned wonder woman now standing in front of the needle which... didn’t have a top half.

Percy was pretty sure there was supposed to be a top half.

A golden red light shone from the center of the obelisk, the goddess reaching a hand to grab the spire and laughing maniacally as the light was absorbed into her body. Percy watched as the wounds they’d inflicted began to heal, the goddesses laugh slowly changing from a high pitch chortle to a deeper rumble.

“Carter!” Percy called. “What do we do? What’s the plan, kid?”

“The spell!” The older Kane yelled back. “Hathor and Sekmet are one and the same so the spell should work on her too.” He locked eyes with Annabeth. “Find Sadie. Cast the spell. Percy and I will do our best to hold her off.” A mechanical bellow from above resounded through the park. Carter’s gaze flicked up then back down, a wry grin creasing his face. “And we’ve got air support. We’ll buy you as much time as we can, now go!”

Annabeth nodded, reaching out to squeeze Percy’s shoulder in a silent farewell before she took off, weaving through the mess of spikes towards where they’d last seen the younger Kane and her boyfriend. Percy watched her go for a split second before making his way over to Carter.  _ She’s fine, _ he reassured himself,  _ she knows what she’s doing more than you do _ . But that didn’t stop him from worrying. There was a blast of green and red as Leo and Zia began a slavo of attacks on the goddess from above.

He had almost reached the older Kane when he heard it.

“Percy…” The demigod’s name was no more than a croak, but the familiar sound still halted the Son of Poseidon in his tracks. His head turned towards the noise and felt the blood drain from his face at the sight as a second word was whispered, “... help.”

Then Felix coughed roughly, a small line of blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

The kid had been impaled. A smaller, thinner spike having pierced through his side at a shallow angle, his white linen shirt soaked red. Small, trembling hands were braced on the hardened red energy, a pale face highlighting glazed sapphire eyes that stared at the demigod. Felix blinked slowly, as if the effort to do so was too great. “Help.” He mouthed the word, breath hitching as his eyes slipped close, brow furrowing in pain as tears slipped down his cheek.

“No…” Percy breathed, the shock subsiding enough for him to get his feet moving again. “No no no no no, Felix!  _ Carter! _ ” His voice cracked with fear. “Get over here,  _ now _ ! Hey hey hey, Felix? Hey, buddy, don’t close your eyes yet, okay? I need you to keep them open for me. Can you do that?”

There was an agonizingly long moment in which the kid didn’t respond- didn’t seem to have heard Percy- and then...

“Mmm-kay.” Felix’s eyes flickered, a pained gaze raising halfway to meet Percy’s own fearful one.

“That’s great, kid, you’re doing good.” His voice was shaking as he tried not to panic. What could he do, what could he  _ do _ ? There had to be something.

Percy’s heart hammered loudly in his chest as he looked over the spike. It was thin enough that one clean cut with Riptide should sever it, but Percy wasn’t sure if that would make things better or worse. The kid was already paler than he was moments ago, likely from bloodloss, and Percy wasn’t sure that removing the spike would help.

“Percy…” Felix breathed, chest rising and falling in short, stuttering pulses. “It- it hurts.”

“Shh, shh, I know.” Percy stroked the young magician’s hair. “I know it does, but hang on. You’ll be okay, I promise.”  _ He had to be okay _ , the demigod added in his mind, sending a prayer to any and every god who might be listening to make his statement true. “Carter’s coming and he’ll make it all better, just- just keep your eyes open and try not to talk, okay?”

Felix gave a shaky nod.

Percy stayed like that a second and a half longer before the sound of approaching footfalls reached his ears. “Percy? What’s-” Carter’s voice cut out abruptly as he arrived, eyes widening. “Oh  _ gods _ .” The older Kane rushed over, a hand ghosting over the spike’s red surface. Carter pulled it back after a moment, his initially terrified expression morphing to one of collected calm. But his voice still wobbled when he spoke, betraying the emotions held back by his stoick mask.

“Okay… okay, we need to get this out.” He said, rummaging through his bag for something.

“Won’t that just make things worse?” Percy hissed. “He can’t lose more blood-”

“I can’t  _ heal him _ with it in there.” Carter retorted harshly, pulling a wax statue from his bag. “It’s sapping his magical energy.”

The demigod paused. “What?” Then he took a harder look at the spike- it was the same hue as the essence reavers, a dull, pulsing red light emanating from its core.

How had he missed it?

Percy drew Riptide and sliced the honed celestial bronze edge across the shard, severing it. Felix’s legs gave out the moment he did, but Carter was there to lower him to the ground. The young magician whimpered the sound tearing at Percy’s chest, Felix’s eyes screwed tight against the jarring movement. The demigod then reached down, grabbing the end of the spike that still stuck out from Felix’s side.

“On three.” He warned. “One, two-” Percy pulled.

Felix screamed.

The cry was cut short as the kid went limp, chest rising and falling rapidly with shallow breaths. Percy just stared, severed spike in hand, mind numb at the fact that he’d just caused this kid- a  _ kid _ \- enough pain for him to pass out. Even if it had been necessary, Percy still felt like he was going to hell for it. Carter had no such hesitations- the older Kane immediately chanting a spell, holding a wax figurine that bore striking resemblence to Felix aside from a slightly squashed nose.

Golden lines trailed from Carter’s hand to the wound, suffusing the edges with light as the wax figure slowly turned red and melted.

“You need to go.”

Percy blinked out of his stupor. “What?”

“You need. To go.” Carter repeated, with zero malice in his words. The magician never looking up from what he was doing as he continued, “I’ll stay with Felix.  _ I _ can heal him as best I can until Jaz can get here. But  _ you _ need to go help the others. They can’t do it alone.”

The sounds of battle had been muted to Percy’s mind, but now that he was reminded they came rushing back: explosions and cracks of whips, screams of anger and roars of defiance. A distant bleating of a goat punctuated the din- alarms from the Argo III. Leo and Zia were in trouble.

“Okay.” Percy nodded, then he said it again, louder. “Okay, I’ll go. Just-” He looked down again at the kid, a plethora of emotions roiling in his gut. “I promised him he’d be okay.”

Carter nodded in understanding. “I’ll keep that promise for you. And Percy?”

The demigod’s eyes met Carter’s, the Kane’s expression murderous.

“Give her hell.”

* * *

Percy saw red as he weaved his way to the needle.

Not just in the spikes of Hathors energy, or the rising sun, or the futile attacks from the Argo III. His blood pounded in his ears as the demigod arrived, regarding the newly transformed goddess as she struck out at the mages surrounding her.

She no longer looked like wonder woman. The battle skirt had been replaced with hide leggings, corset top now a set of panelled armor that was reminiscent of old samurai movies. Most striking of all the changes was her face, the feminine woman now a literal white lioness head, with crimson eyeliner in the shape of Carter’s necklace around her right eye, and an equally red headdress stemming from her forehead and falling to her shoulders.

A clawed hand ripped through the ground before the other snapped her whip around the base of a tree, uprooting it to throw skyward; where the Argo III barely shifted out of its way. The ship was listing to one side, smoke rising from the back of the hull: Percy figured that couldn’t be good. The goddess herself calling for blood as she attacked at the magicians who were doing their best to shield their wounded comrades as they retreated from her warpath.

Percy’s grip of Riptide tightened.

She wanted blood? Then that’s what he’d give her.

The demigod didn’t scream, didn’t yell, he just ran. Ran towards Sekhmet and called forth his powers. Water from the River Thames responded instantly to his command, sweeping over the side of the park wall and crashing into the goddess’ new face. Sekhmet sputtered, batting at the relentless geyser, completely oblivious to Percy’s approach from behind.

The demigod’s blade bit deep into the lion goddesses leg, celestial bronze tearing through the tough sinew.

Sekhmet turned, howling and bearing her fangs down at the demigod. In his peripheral vision, Percy saw the Argo III limping away to safety through the brightening sky and leaving a thin smoke trail in its wake. The goddess’ pure white eyes narrowed in Percy’s direction. “Godling.” She growled. “I shall rend your flesh from your bones!”

A clawed hand arced down. Percy barely flinched. He dodged to the side, maneuvering the geyser to snake around the goddess and propel him upwards. He came down on her left shoulder, Riptide snaking its way between the plates. Before Sekhmet could react, the demigod shouted, “ _ Ke-ra-noh _ !”

A bolt of white hot lightning arcing down from the cloudless sky, channeling through the conduit of Percy’s blade before vaulting across the lion goddesses armor. Sekhmet screeched in agony as the electricity jumped from metal to metal, the fur on her arms standing on end. Percy leaped off, guiding his descent with the geyser and landing a few feet away.

The goddess’ screech turned into a chortle.

“Pathetic!” Sekhmet snarled, coiling her whip as she spoke. “Such weak magic could never defeat me,  _ godling _ .” And while the blow did look like it had hurt initially, the lion goddess didn’t appear to be any worse for wear. Some singed fur, and some soot marks on her armor, but otherwise okay. “And those who are weak, must be  _ culled _ from this earth!  _ U-ha ey pwah _ !”

At the command, the two sphynx statues at the base of the needle came to life, jumping down from their pedestals and turning their twin onyx stares at Percy. The demigod huffed, shifting his stance as the monsters bounded towards him.

Weak huh? Then it was time to get creative.

Percy wasted little effort in knocking the stone sphynxes aside, another quick burst of his powers sending the black creatures careening across the park towards the forest of spikes. He propelled himself up again, swinging Riptide in an arc towards Sekhmet’s neck. The goddess scoffed with disappointment as she intercepted it with the base of her whip, “Predictable.”

Percy smiled. She clearly didn’t know that a demigod was anything but.

His free hand snatched the end of the coiled weapon, the hard leather biting into his palm. Then he directed his powers to circle the geyser around the goddess; mind quickly recalling the spell Sadie and Walt had used earlier.

“ _ Tas _ !”

Sekhmet’s eyes bulged as her own weapon was turned against her, the tough material tightening as Percy circled the goddess’ head once… twice… three times. Her hands scrabbled at her throat, trying to loosen the binding magic that continued to close around her neck.

By the fifth go around, Percy could feel his energy waning. Whether it was due to the fact that he was actively trying to use magic, or because he’d used too much energy in the fights against the essence reavers, he couldn’t say. But in an effort to conserve what he still had, Percy landed back on the ground, one hand still wrapped around his end of the whip.

The only warning he had was a low growl before he was slammed from the side, the leather bit ripped from his grasp.

_ Oh right _ , Percy recalled as he crashed to the concrete,  _ the gargoyle sphinxes _ . One of them had pinned him, stone claws digging into his flesh and crushing his arms. Percy grimaced as the female-headed creature snarled at him, opening her mouth to reveal a set of very inhuman fangs. The demigod swung Riptide the best he could, but the blade glanced off of the stone; chipping off a small chunk that the creature didn’t even seem to notice.

“Get off of him.”

The sphynx stopped growling, twisting her head towards the new voice. Percy craned his head as best he could, seeing Carter standing a ways away, holding what looked like a striped rod with confetti bursting from the end in one hand.

“I said,” Carter brandished the rod at the sphynx, his voice seeming to echo even though he spoke at the same volume. “Get  _ off _ .”

To Percy’s surprise- and immediate relief- the creature complied, claws retracting as it stepped back, head bowed slightly. Percy propped himself up, rolling his shoulders with a wince- the claws hadn’t bitten deep but they still hurt. He’d have to take a dunk in the river before this was all over. Now that his view was unobstructed, the demigod saw that Carter’s other hand was holding another red and gold striped rod, this one curved almost in a full circle at the end.

Behind him, the other sphynx sat patiently, watching Carter with an obedience that couldn’t be natural for the formerly chaotic monsters.

“Are you alright?”

Percy’s mind snapped back at the question. “Fine.” He answered, pushing off the ground and rolling his shoulders again. Then his mind caught up with the situation- if Carter was  _ here _ then the kid…. “How’s Felix?” Percy asked, worry gnawing at his chest.

“He’s stable now. Jaz is with him, and she says he should make a full recovery in time.”

“Good.” Percy released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. The demigod cast an eye over the Kane, noting the still-tense posture and hardened expression. “Are  _ you _ okay?”

Carter seriously considered the question for a moment. “No.” He answered truthfully. “Sekhmet hurt my family.  _ No one _ hurts my family.” Righteous fury rolled off the magician in waves, the sphynxes sensing the anger and dipping their heads lower. Percy glanced at them and then back to Carter.

“You’re not going to go darkside on me, are you?”

“What? No.” Carter’s brow furrowed. “Why would you think that?”

The demigod gestured aimlessly towards the sphynxes. “One minute they were working for the lion queen over there, the next they’re listening to you.”

The magicians hands clenched on the rods a bit tighter. “They can’t disobey the Pharaoh.”

“Oh.” Percy frowned, then blinked a few times. “Wait, are you saying  _ you’re _ -”

“ _ Stahp. _ ”

Sekhmet croaked out the divine word, having managed to loosen the bindings enough to draw breath for the spell. Her whip was sliced in half, the chords falling away as the goddess gulped in greedy breaths. “I will  _ end _ you!” Sekhmet wheezed, the threat lacking it’s normal intimidation, even as her white irises promised death.

Percy watched with disdain as the lion goddess continued to struggle with air. “I will have questions when this is all over.” The demigod forewarned, continuing with his previous line of thinking as he propped Riptide over his shoulder. “Just so you know.”

Carter’s lips quirked into a crooked grin. “Fair enough.”

Sadie and Annabeth’s voice carried on the wind, the mix of Greek and Egyptian words culminating as symbols of every color- silver, blue, green, purple, black, red, brown, orange- began to swirl around the goddess. Sekhmet batted at them but her hand passed through the magic, the lion goddess quickly turning her headattention in the direction of the chanting.

“Oh no you don’t.” Carter chastized, summoning his combat avatar. Only this time the chicken was golden, not blue. “You’re staying right here.”

Without so much as a word, the stone sphynxes charged, each snagging onto one of Sekhmet’s sandled feet and tearing at her ankles. After a moment of failing to dislodge the beasts, Sekhmet instead lunged at Carter.

Percy would’ve helped. Really, he would’ve. But the magician didn’t need it. It was like he had predicted every move the goddess would make and countered them all flawlessly. Each blow was met with a parry or a counterstrike. Sekhmet’s spells bounced off Carter’s shields, every movement forwards was returned with two steps back until she was crowded to the edge of the riverbank.

To say the Son of Poseidon was impressed would be an understatement. Percy knew Carter was a good swordman; had seen it firsthand on more than one occasion. But in the moment he was blown away by Carter’s coordination- no move was overextended, no block or attack flourished for style. Everything he did was precise and tactful, sure movements and maneuvers that exuded confidence and competence. Seeing it made the demigod remember what Sadie had said about him being too flashy (which he most certainly was  _ not _ ).

But Carter could only keep it up for so long.

The intense golden glow from the beginning of the fight had dimmed noticeably as time wore on. No doubt the effort of sustaining his giant combat chicken drawing on what reserves he had left over from the earlier battles. Whereas Sekhmet’s frustration was only increasing her efforts, the symbols now covering half of her body.

Percy cracked his neck. It was time to join in on the fun.

He leaped into the fray, jumping onto the seawall and running along the brickwork, slashing at the goddesses lower back. Sekhmet rebuffed the blow by stomping on Percy’s section of the wall, forcing the demigod to dive back to the ground as chunks of stone went flying, tucking and rolling as he landed. As he completed the maneuver, he saw her other sandaled foot swinging around in a sweeping roundhouse kick (complete with rainbow-colored markings). But before Percy had a chance to dodge out of the way, Carter’s curved rod was there, hooking Sekhmet’s ankle and tugging upwards, sending the lion goddess sprawling.

Percy called forth water from the river, an idea forming in his head. He directed the water downwards, blasting the goddess from head to toe in the brackish murk. Before she could even think of getting back up, the demigod cried, “ _ Se-kebeb _ !” The spell he’d learned from Felix quickly froze the water, trapping Sekhmet to the floor.

“That’s for Felix.” He ground out as the prone goddess struggled fruitlessly against the ice.

The symbols and hieroglyphic letters had now completely enveloped the goddesses form, surrounding her body with an ethereal glow. Sadie and Annabeth’s voices reached a crescendo as the spell was completed, the picture-words and Greek letters interlocking like chains and brightening in a multi-colored light show.

_ Please don’t explode, please don’t explode,  _ please _ don’t explode _ , Percy couldn’t help but think as the luminescence became near blinding. And then it dimmed. Where Sekhmet once was, there was nothing but a seven foot chunk of hollow ice.

She was just… gone. 

Percy was almost afraid to ask. “Did it… work?”

Carter dropped his combat chicken, closing his eyes for a moment and concentrating. When he opened them again, he was smiling. “It worked.” He affirmed. “She’s been sent back to the deepest layers of the Duat.” His gaze turned to the rising sun, a relieved expression crossing his face. “It’s over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Poor Felix... *peeks out from under the desk and whispers* please don't kill me. *proceeds to dodge the death glares and daggers being thrown at my head* AAAaahhhHHhhhh!!!! I'm sorry!!!! I said I was sorrry!!!!
> 
> No spoilers :P
> 
> Last chapter will be out on Thursday! On Friday I'll probably also post the prologue to the connected short story I'm working on if there's enough interest for it. That story isn't finished (*cough* started *cough*) so it'll just be the sneak peek.
> 
> Until next time!  
> <3


	36. The End (Or is it?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promises are kept, trust is fractured and repaired, and Latoya is punched.
> 
> Or: The aftermath of the battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Did someone forget she was supposed to post on Thursday??? Yes... yes she did.
> 
> We had three Tuesday/Thursday classes in a row here at my college so my brain is a bit scrambled right now when it comes to scheduling :P
> 
> Please enjoy the final chapter of When Worlds Collide!  
> <3

**(Annabeth POV)**

Annabeth let out a tense breath as she closed the door to the infirmary behind her- or, at least, the spare room on the Argo III that was being used as one. Jaz was still inside, the younger magician opting to remain at Felix’s side as a precaution for further treatment: The kid was stable now, thanks to a combination of healing potions and a repair spell the demigod had found in the Book of Thoth. (Annabeth had only needed to adapt a phrase specifying the ‘repair’ as that of the cell structure in human anatomy for the magic to function.)

_ Speaking of... _

The demigod’s eyes lingered on the book itself, the weathered tome practically falling apart beneath her fingers. Her chest constricted at the thought of what she had to do; metaphorically and physically. Ever since defeating Hathor, the vow Annabeth made to Ihy had become a literal weight on her conscience; each passing moment making it harder for the demigod to breathe.

The only reason the deed was not yet done was because after casting the incantation with Sadie, Annabeth had told the younger Kane that she was going to go help Jaz however she could.

It was an excuse. Annabeth knew it, and so did her trans-magical vow, apparently. But now, the demigod could put it off no longer. There was just one last thing she had to do before...

The Daughter of Athena shook her head, refusing to think about it even as her eyes lined with moisture. Gods this was so unfair. Cruelly ironic to make the child of the goddess of wisdom and knowledge destroy a tome of ancient and powerful information.

After taking a moment to gain control over her emotions, Annabeth made her way outside.

The aftermath of the battle spanned the length of the inner city. The destruction and chaos wrought by Hathors magic lingered in fragmented remains. Annabeth let her gaze rove over the plethora of ruts in the earth and craters in the sides of buildings; shriveled husks of once lush vivacious trees scattered across the roads like so many fallen leaves.

But already the rebuilding had begun. The London mages- those who could muster up the energy, that is- methodically made their way down the rows of asphalt, repairing the damage as best they could. Although, so far, none had discovered how to restore the life sucked from the evergreens.

Annabeth couldn’t hold back a snort as she saw Percy trying to water said trees, using his godly ability to activate the sprinklers in the park. Needless to say, that wasn’t working either.

The other magicians were grouped around the (newly repaired) London Needle, with Carter and Walt in a deep conversation with Latoya while Sadie was throwing small chunks of stone for the sphinx's to chase. Zia was the only one who noticed her descent from the Argo III’s deck, the black haired elementalist pushing away from the pillar she’d been leaning against and making her way over.

“Felix is fine.” Annabeth said once she was within earshot, answering the unasked question.

The elementalist released a breath, the hint of a smile crossing her lips. “He’s a tough little anklebiter.” Zia’s eyes then dropped to the object in the demigod’s grasp, recognition and understanding flashing across her features. Her gaze flicked back up to where Carter stood. “How would you like to do this? Need me to distract him while you...”

“No.” There would be no hidden meaning behind her action. Moreso, the Kanes deserved to know the truth.

Zia nodded. “Alright, then. I’ll follow your lead.”

“Thanks.”

The singular word could hardly convey how grateful the Daughter of Athena was to the elementalist, but Zia’s eyes softened in understanding all the same. As the girls made their way over to the others, Annabeth prayed to Athena to give her the strength she needed to see this through. One last battle before the day was well and truly won.

Sadie and Percy noticed their approach first, the two abandoning their activities to move closer to Carter and Latoya. The older Kane’s voice faded out as he turned to them, worry pinching his brow and chest rising with a deep breath. It was he who asked the question that was on all of their minds.

“How’s Felix?”

Annabeth offered a reassuring smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “He’s doing a lot better now. Stable and recovering albeit slowly; but he’ll pull through- he’s a tough kid, after all.” She added, borrowing Zia’s earlier sentiment.

As one, the others sighed, relieved smiles painting their faces at the good news. Annabeth’s own lips pressed thin as she steeled herself for her next, not-so-good news part.

“What’s wrong?”

The Daughter of Athena blinked, glancing to Percy. Sometimes she forgot how perceptive he could be- and how easily he was able to read her expressions (then again, they  _ had _ been dating for upwards of three years now, she guessed that it was only a matter of time before they started finishing each other's sentences). His question brought the Kane siblings back from their elation, the siblings exchanging a confused look before turning their attention once more to the demigod; even Latoya’s head tilted up from the scroll she was reading.

“There’s one more thing we- or, more specifically I- have to do. Back when Ihy told me Hathors secret name, he asked something of me in return.” Her gaze mt Carter’s, seeing confusion cross his features. “I vowed, on the Throne of Fire, to see it through, and in return he promised on the River Styx to not lie when he told us Hathors name.”

Percy took a step forwards, worry crinkling his brow and tinting his words. “What did you do?”

No doubt he assumed the worst- some dangerous promise Annabeth would be forced to keep (although, Percy was hardly the one to talk about making dangerous gambles with the gods). As a Daughter of Athena the truth of what she had to do was almost as bad, emotionally if not physically.

“Nothing, yet.” Annabeth reassured, hand tightening around the Book of Thoth. “I just wanted you to know the reasoning behind my actions.” She looked at the Kanes, holding first Sadie and then Carter’s unwavering gaze. “And to apologize, in advance. I hope you can forgive me.”

With that she passed the book over to Zia, nodding at the fire elementalist.

To her credit, the magician barely hesitated, dark eyes flicking up to Carter before back down at the book. Zia opened it halfway, placing a hand in the center of the worn tome. In the next moment, the papyrus was alight with flames, the dry pages kindling with ease. Annabeth’s heart twisted at the sight. The edges blackened in seconds, curling up into ash as the intensity of the fire grew. It took those few seconds for Carter to realize what had just been done, the older Kane having stood in shocked silence until then.

“What are you _ doing _ !” He shouted, snatching the still burning book from Zia grasp only to hiss in pain, reflexively dropping the offending item. The book thudded to the ground.

Before anything else could be said, Zia raised a hand, empowering the mini conflagration to grow, the heat so intense that they all took a half step back. After another moment the flames calmed, receding until it revealed what was left of the Book of Thoth: a mound of blackened cinders.

Silence dominated.

Annabeth’s eyes were watering, and not from the smoke that still curled from the smouldering remains. It took every ounce of willpower in the demigod to hold back the waterworks.

A slow clapping drew everyone's attention. Latoya, who had watched the proceedings with interest, was now smirking, eyebrows raised in approval. The disdain in her eyes sickened Annabeth, and the demigods hands clenched into fists.

“My my,” The  _ Sem _ Priest drawled. “I’m impressed. It looks like at least two of you have sensible heads on your shoulders. I commend you, demigod, for your service to the nomes of Ma’at. Truly a-umph!” 

Latoya’s speech cut off with a grunt as Annabeth closed the distance between them in two long strides, drew back, and landed a punch square across the magicians jaw. Latoya stumbled back from the force of the blow, tripping over some spare debris and falling on her rear. The  _ Sem _ Priest looked up indignantly but any words she may have been about to say died instantly at the sight of Annabeth towering over her.

Acrimony radiated from the Daughter of Athena in thunderous waves, gaze narrowed in fury as she jammed a finger at the older woman. “No.” The one word was soft spoken, but crashed down like one of Percy’s strongest waves. “You do  _ not _ get to celebrate the destruction of knowledge.  _ Especially _ when that knowledge just saved not only you, but your entire Nome, London, and the whole world from certain destruction. And all because of your  _ ignorance _ in heeding the warning of your fellow magicians.”

Annabeth took another step forward, forcing the  _ Sem  _ Priest to scramble back else be stepped on. “The fact that that  _ book _ was ten times more helpful than you, goes to show just how incompetent your style of ruling is. Knowledge is to be learned from, and taught- only those that don’t understand it, fear it. If I had my say,  _ you _ would be the one that’s now a smouldering pile of ashes.” Grey eyes flashed. “But luckily for you, I made a vow to help save the world and I keep my promises.”

Someone grabbed her shoulder gently but the demigod shook them off. She wasn’t done speaking her mind. But the hand persisted, spinning her around to face Percy, whose expression was one of complete understanding and sympathy. “Annabeth…” He said, her name soft on his lips. “It’s over.”

“But she-”

“Has no respect for intelligence, or people, and a surprising lack of insight for someone who claims to be able to see the future.” Percy interrupted. “Yeah, I know. But people like her either see the error of their ways and change or,” he shrugged, “they die from arrogance and stupidity.” His eyes slid past her to meet the gaze of the  _ Sem  _ Priest. “Honestly I’m not sure which one I’m rooting for. But either way, it’s over.”

It was… and yet it wasn’t.

Annabeth sent one last scathing glare Latoya’s way before facing the Kanes. Sadie had set her lips in a thin line, grimly observing the remains of the book, while Carter’s face had become a mask, betraying no emotions. His posture, on the other hand, was stiff and tense, knuckles white among clenched fists. The elder Kane’s eyes raised to meet Annabeth’s and the demigod winced internally at the hurt and betrayal she saw just below the surface of the hard hazel gaze.

The Daughter of Athena drew breath to apologize again but Carter closed his eyes and turned his back on them all. “What’s done is done.” He muttered, before heading towards the Argo III. Sadie quickly fell into step behind him.

Zia, the only magician left, sighed at their departure. “I’ll talk to them.” She assured, “They both just need some time.”

And then it was just Annabeth and Percy, Zia hurrying to catch up with the retreating backs of the Kane siblings. Grey eyes lowered to the charred remains, and the demigod could hold back the waterworks no longer. The dam broke and tears fell silently down her cheeks as she hoped she hadn’t just destroyed the book, and their newly formed friendships, with one act.

* * *

The trip back to the Brooklyn house was quiet and uneventful (for once)

It was a two-day trip (Leo proclaiming that he wasn’t gonna push his baby to the limits if they weren’t in a rush) over open waters and under calm, clear skies. Annabeth wished the mood on the boat could match it. Things were still tense between the Kanes and herself. And while they didn’t seem to outright condemn her action- the price of saving the world was always steep in some way- that didn’t mean they had forgiven her.

As they were all confined to a fairly cramped ship, it was inevitable that they would run into each other every now and again. It was hard for Annabeth to not apologize every time she bumped into one of the Kanes, because she knew ‘sorry’ could only go so far, and saying it on repeat would only dampen it’s sincerity.

By the second morning, Sadie seemed to have come around, the younger Kane even striking up a casual conversation about how good it would be to be home again. She lamented about the wonders of being able to soak in a hot bubble bath before asking about the demigod’s own residence.

“Camp Half Blood?” Annabeth shrugged. “Not so much bath tubs, but there is a pretty sizable lake: crystal clear water all year round.”

“And there are no albino crocodiles in it either.” Percy chimed in.

“And that’s a plus how?” Sadie retorted with a smirk. “Phillip of Macedonia is a  _ wonderful _ house guest, he’s so good with the kids.”

Percy laughed. “Maybe at eating them, sure.”

“He would never! At least... not unless they really deserved it.”

The fact they were now back on speaking terms helped relieve some of the strain in the air, even though Annabeth knew that Sadie wasn’t as frustrated by the loss of the book as her brother. When the demigod breached the subject with the younger magician, Sadie just shrugged.

“Yeah, he can be a wee bit of a pinhead at times.” She agreed, picking a stray strand of dyed hair from her sleeve. “You did what you had to to save the world- we’ve all been there. Carter just needs to get that though his thick skull. Maybe I’ll borrow one of Leo’s hammers to help beat it in faster…”

That night, Jaz surprised them all by bringing a very well-rested looking Felix to dinner. Everyone was overjoyed at his return, Percy even embracing the kid in a light hug, careful of the bandages still wrapped around his abdomen. Felix had no such precaution, the blonde-haired magician bouncing with unused energy as he scarfed down half a dozen tacos, asking endless questions between bites about how they’d beaten Hathor.

Percy humored the kid, providing a vivid retelling of the final battle with as much flair and exaggeration as he could muster, explaining how Carter had decimated the fight, the poor goddess never knowing what hit her. Felix turned his starstruck gaze to Carter, breathing out an awed “Whoa…” that made the elder Kane’s cheeks flush.

“It was a team effort.” Carter said. “We all worked together to bring Hathor down.”

“So cool! You’re like the Avengers!” Felix smiled wide.

“Oh yeah?” Sadie prompted, raising an eyebrow. “Which one am I then?”

“Hmm…” Felix thought for a long moment, furrowed gaze scanning the assembled group. “You would be Thor- because he just zaps things with lightning. Carter would be the Hulk since he grows into his giant falcon-warrior avatar.”

“What about me?” Leo asked, leaning back in his chair.

“Iron Man.” Felix answered without hesitation, “Because you’re best friends with a mechanical dragon. Kinda like Jarvis.”

Leo pumped a fist into the air, folding the other behind his head. “Oh yeah, I’m Iron Man! Hear that Festus?” The ship clacked and whirred in response. Annabeth rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Percy would be Captain America,” The kid continued, without missing a beat. “Because he’s good at giving speeches, and Annabeth would be Black Widow because she’s really cool even without special powers.”

Annabeth snorted into her drink even as her boyfriend and Leo laughed.

Percy grinned at her. “Guess who’s got a new nickname?” He asked rhetorically in a sing-song voice.

“Oh yeah,  _ Captain _ ?” The Daughter of Athena retorted, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey- that’s my title!” Leo protested, Festus clicked in agreement with his maker-slash-pilot.

“No- you’re Iron Man, remember.”

Leo frowned, looking at Percy. “Hmm… she makes a good point. Hey, Percy, wanna be Iron Man instead?”

Felix looked appalled at the suggestion. “What? No. You can’t just switch!”

“Why not?”

“Because… because that’s against the rules.”

The hispanic mocked a frown of confusion. “What rules? I didn’t hear anything about not being able to switch superheroes.”

“Well… I’m making that rule now. No switching!” Felix decreed with as much bravado as he could muster, banging a fist on the table three times like a gavel. The action sent the room into another bout of chuckles and laughs, the mood lifting even as Felix demanded to know what was so funny.

It wasn’t long after that when Jaz ushered the kid to bed as, despite his earlier energy, Felix was becoming visibly exhausted as the night wore on. Felix only put up a smidgen of protest, saying how he wasn’t tired while fighting back a yawn. Leo smiled wanly at the action, shaking his head.

“Now I understand why y’all get on my back when I say things like that.” He stood from his seat, walking around the table. “C’mon Nick Fury, time for bed.”

“Nick Fury?” Felix frowned.

“Naturally!” Leo agreed, gently steering the kid towards the door. “Who else can form an entire team of ice penguins and command them into battle?”

Annabeth watched them go for a long moment, then checked the clock on the wall. “It’s pretty late, actually. We should arrive at the Brooklyn House by morning, so why don’t we all get some shut eye.” She stood, moving to wash her dishes in the kitchen sink.

The others mumbled their agreement, helping the demigod clear off the table before filing out of the room one by one. Annabeth began the tedious process of hand washing the plates, Percy stopping to peck her on the cheek with a hearty ‘goodnight’ before making his way to their room. The water from the faucet was like white noise, a constant background noise to her inner thoughts. The monotonous process of scrubbing the dishware was like a balm to her nerves, allowing her mind to get lost in the calming, routine motions.

So much so that she didn’t realize she wasn’t alone until Carter cleared his throat behind her. The elder Kane didn’t meet her gaze, instead motioning to the drying rack. “Mind if I help dry?”

Annabeth blinked at the offer, surprised. “Not at all.”

Carter nodded, stepping up to the counter and grabbing a rag. They worked in silence, the air heavy between them. Annabeth could tell the magician had something on his mind (three guesses as to what) so she stayed quiet, opting to let him choose his moment to speak. They were almost done when he did.

“I… understand why you did it.”

Annabeth’s hands stilled in their motion, soap suds slowly creeping down her arm. She sighed softly. “I wish I hadn’t.”

“You didn’t.” Carter’s retort surprised her and the demigod glanced over. “At least, not immediately. Sadie told me you went to help Jaz after the fight. Went to help Felix.” He placed the mug he was drying down with a soft clink. “You tried to get every use out of it that you could before… before it was gone. The Book of Thoth was a trove of knowledge, one we could’ve learned a lot from. But so could others- others who would’ve used the information with malintent.”

“All knowledge is precious.” Annabeth agreed, moving her hands again in the circular pattern. “But how people choose to use it is where its power truly comes from.”

Carter nodded sagely, absorbing her words. “I guess when you think of it that way… it’s a good thing that the book was destroyed.”

“... That doesn’t mean you have to be happy about it.”

“I never said I was.” The elder Kane replied, meeting her gaze for the first time in two days. “But… I’m not angry at you.”

Annabeth smiled softly. “Now that  _ is _ something I’m happy about.”

* * *

They said their goodbyes from the deck of the Argo III. The older boys exchanged manly handshakes and pats on the back while Sadie, Jaz, and Felix went for the hugs. Zia, meanwhile, was deliberately avoiding physical contact with anyone that wasn’t Carter; despite Leo’s many attempts to get the elementalist to at least share a fist bump of farewell. Annabeth wasn’t really one to get all choked up with emotional farewells, but she had to admit she would miss working with the magicians.

Carter held out his hand to Percy, who shook the offered appendage. “Maybe we’ll see you around?” The Son of Poseidon was saying. “After all, Brooklyn isn’t that far from Long Island.”

“Maybe.” The elder Kane agreed, “Perhaps even sooner than you think.”

“Oh?” Percy raised an eyebrow questioningly.

But Carter simply smirked knowingly. “We’ll be in touch.”

“Hopefully not for another apocalypse.” Annabeth chimed in. “Although if one does come up do let us know.”

“Same to you.” Sadie said. “Don’t leave us out of the fun. Maybe next time we’ll have one of those foreboding riddles guiding us.”

The demigods shuddered in unison at the thought. “Yeah,” Percy shook his head, “let’s hope not.”

The Egyptians made their way down to the rooftop, Festus roaring out a goodbye as well. Carter rolled his eyes at whatever the animatronic had said, muttering a “Yeah, yeah, I’ll miss you too. Just don’t go and crash again, I think you’ll give your pilot a heart attack.”

“Gods forbid.” Leo concurred solemnly from the control console.

With a few flipped switches the gangplank retracted, the Argo III’s oars lifting as the ship ascended. Annabeth and Percy waved from the bow as the magicians grew smaller and further away. It was a quaint end to their quest, Annabeth thought to herself. However, the Daughter of Athena was unable to deny the lingering sensation that this was only the beginning of their time spent with the Kanes and their friends. She had a feeling they would be seeing more of each other in the future- for better or worse.

The flight across the city towards Long Island sound was peaceful, the bright morning light beaming down on the three demigods. There was an indescribable calm to the day, and if Annabeth had to put it into words, she’d say it was almost like the dawn of a new era.

“So….” Percy drew out the word for a few seconds, turning to lean his back against the railing as they drew near Camp Half-Blood. “I realize I kinda sorta owe you a do over on our date. Since our trip to the Met was… interrupted.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, lips tugging into a smile. “That’s putting it mildly. Did you have somewhere in mind?”

Percy shrugged casually. “Nowhere in particular, although I was thinking maybe next week it might be a good idea to swing by the Washington Monument. I mean, now that we know it’s a hub of magical Egyptian travel, and all.”

Annabeth grinned, leaning against her boyfriends shoulder. “Washington sounds great.”

“Well count me in!” Leo piped up from the helm with a wink at the two lovebirds. “But, uh, first I have to ask: How are we gonna explain to Chiron that we were gone for a week to stop an apocalypse with the great great great great grandkids of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs?”

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look. They’d completely forgotten about that.

“You know what? We  _ could _ just go to Washington today.”

“That’s not a bad idea, Seaweed Brain. Leo-”

“Already on it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story to it's end- sincerely, you are all awesome :D  
> I will be posting the prologue to the follow up short story here in a moment since it IS Friday and I said I would be posting that today.
> 
> Until next time!  
> <3


	37. Prologue: You are Cordially Invited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prologue to the follow up story 'The Brooklyn House Championship'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> This is a prologue to the next story in this series I will be working on. Current plans are to finish writing it by Christmas/New Years but so far this is all I have written out. I'll probably do something similar with the posting schedule- I'll finish writing first and then upload the chapters once/day or something. Unless, of course, y'all would rather suffer with me as I update each chapter as it's written with horrendously long breaks between uploads?
> 
> Anyway! Thanks for reading WWC! This will be posted as it's own story once the other chapters are written :)  
> Please enjoy!  
> <3

**(Annabeth POV)**

Winter had officially arrived in New York. The first snowfall of the season coated the streets and buildings in a fine white powder, a chill in the air replacing the lingering warmth of fall. Jackets and beanie caps became the new fashion, scarves and gloves surely to follow as the temperatures continued to drop as the year creeped closer and closer to its end.

Annabeth was not a fan. She disliked the cold almost as much as spiders; it reminded her of the time when she, Luke, and Thalia had been making their way to Camp Half-Blood. Countless nights spent huddled in street corners as the frigid temperatures of winter settled deep in their bones. The blonde shuddered involuntarily at the memories, pulling her own flannel jacket tighter; as if doing so could chase off the chill in the wind as well as the one that accompanied the ghosts of her past.

A touch on her shoulder turned the demigod’s head, and old woes faded as Annabeth smiled up at Percy. He reciprocated the expression, moving to sit on the bench beside her, a covered mug offered out with his free hand.

“Took you long enough.” Annabeth teased lightly, accepting the coffee. “I was just wondering if I would need to make an expedition to the underworld again.”

“Gods forbid.” He muttered, expression twisting into a grimace. “I ran into Rachel Dare at the dining pavilion, actually.”

Annabeth’s eyebrows rose as she took a deep draft of the bittersweet liquid. “She’s here?” The last they’d seen of their friend she’d gone with Tyson and Ella to Camp Jupiter. The trio had been with the Romans ever since the end of the war with Gaea. Come to think of it… Annabeth hadn’t seen Rachel when they’d been there last. Granted- she and Carter had been a bit preoccupied by the end of the world at the time, but still...

“I was surprised too,” Percy leaned against the back of the bench, draping an arm over Annabeth’s shoulder. “She told me they were close to deciphering the- the Sibling Books?”

“Sybilline Books,” Annabeth corrected lightly. Then her eyes widened and she whirled to face Percy. “She didn’t issue another prophecy, did she?”

The laugh that leapt from her boyfriends mouth would’ve been answer enough, but he also shook his head in the negative. “You really think I’d be lounging here if she did? Nah, nothing so ominous. Relax, Wise Girl: we’ve met our quota for dangerous adventures this year.”

“As far as we know,” Annabeth grumbled, but she settled back down nonetheless, snuggling into her boyfriends side. An easy silence fell between them, the comfortable quiet broken only by the faint lapping of waves upon the shore.

It was a peaceful moment. Annabeth had long since learned to appreciate these small breaks from their hectic demigod lives. Not that things ever stayed peaceful for long, but for now the world wasn’t in need of saving, so she would take what she was given. The sinking sun cast the sound in a river of gold, the water’s reflection distorting the pink and purple cloudless sky with small whitecaps. Annabeth placed the now empty cup to the side, her contented exhale misting in the brisk temperatures.

“Ahhh…. that hit the spot.”

Percy smirked down at her. “Am I a good boyfriend, or what?”

“You pass.” Annabeth reciprocated the expression, mirth in her storm grey eyes. “Although your timing leaves a bit to be desired?”

“Oh, really now?” Percy leaned over and tickled his cold nose against her ear before brushing a kiss against her cheek. His voice lowered as he moved down her jaw towards her lips. “I’d say this is perfect timing.”

Annabeth suppressed the urge to giggle (Daughters of the Goddess of war and battle strategy did  _ not _ giggle), and instead closed her eyes, leaning closer to her boyfriend’s open invitation to make out. But just before their lips could touch, a third voice entered the foray.

“Hey guys, I- Oh,  _ eww _ , public PDA?  _ Seriously _ ?”

Percy’s chin dropped down to his chest with a soft groan before glancing over his shoulder in annoyance. “It was  _ private _ PDA until you showed up.”

“Eh, point made.” Leo’s shoulders shrugged. The Hispanic still wasn’t looking at them directly, though, having diverted his eyes with one hand raised as if to block his view. The other was lowered by his side, and Amnabeth could see the metal edge of a laptop peeking out from behind him. “Still, anyone could’ve just walked in on your smooch fest.”

Percy’s cheeks flamed. “It wasn’t a smooch fest.”

“It was quickly turning into one, though, wasn't it?”

Resisting the urge to chew out the younger demigod for his untimely interruption, Annabeth instead asked, “What are you doing here, Leo?”

The mechanic was usually holed up in Bunker Nine keeping Festus company as, ever since they’d returned from their little trip to save the world, Chiron had placed an indefinite ban on the Argo III’s flight privileges. To hear Leo tell it, one would think the restriction was driving Festus completely mad (It wasn’t, as Annabeth had verified herself when such rumors arose, but Leo was certainly bemoaning the fact that his baby was, for all intents and purposes, inoperable). Annabeth had suggested letting Festus roam around the lake- the Argo III  _ was _ still fundamentally a  _ boat _ , after all- but the mechanic had looked horrified at the prospect, saying how the salt water would only invite rust to infringe upon the pristine metal hull.

“This is where Jake and Nys said you’d be,” Leo said in answer to the question. “Apparently ‘by the beach’ is a common hangout for a Son of Poseidon. Gods only know the answer as to why.” The joke fell a bit flat, but Leo still smiled as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

Annabeth waited but when no more information was forthcoming, she prompted, “And you needed to see us  _ because _ …”

Leo’s face was the definition of ‘oh, yeah’ as the demigod fumbled with something in his other hand. “Right- I got this in the mail, and it’s addressed to all three of us, so...”

‘This’ turned out to be a CD and a folded piece of yellowed parchment; both of which he held up for the couple to see. On the CD cover were five hand written words in a scraggly, quickly written text:  **From your friends in Brooklyn** . And then in the smaller text below: ( **Play me first)** .

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a quick look of surprise, the latter voicing what they were both thinking. “From the Kanes? What is it?”

“I have absolutely no idea!” Leo announced proudly. “Well I wasn’t about to up and watch it in front of them, now was I? As it was, I had to think pretty fast as to why us three, of all people, had a mutual friend.”

Annabeth raised a brow. “So what  _ did  _ you tell them?”

“That Percy was trying to set me up with an old ex-girlfriend who lived in Brooklyn.”

Percy blanched. “You did  _ what! _ ”

“Relax, Aquaman,” Leo chuckled. “I’m just kidding. I told them your mom was moving to Brooklyn and that I had a relative in the area who was helping her house hunt. And that your mom was making an inside joke with the ‘friend from Brooklyn’ message. All that aside,” Leo motioned with the laptop he brought. “Would you like to find out what’s on it? Or were you too busy smashing your faces together? Because I can come back later if-”

“Leo?” Annabeth interrupted.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and play the gods damned video.”

The mechanic cracked a wide grin as Percy and Annabeth made room for him, the younger demigod flipping open the laptop and powering up the device. He slid the disk into a slot on the side, and a minute later he had the file open, the screen of the portable electronic taken up by a video.

The recording took place on the Brooklyn House’s balcony, the New York city skyline out of focus in the far distance. In the center of the frame was none other than Carter, his visible upper half dressed in one of those pressed collared shirts he always wore that made him look like a college professor instead of a teenager. The carob haired kid cleared his throat and waved a bit hesitantly at the camera.

“Hello, hope you are all doing well. I know it’s been a few months, but I’m Carter Kane and-”

From off screen there was a huff, the camera shaking slightly as the british-accented voice of Sadie Kane interrupted. “Bloody hell, brother dear, I doubt they’ve  _ forgotten _ us. It’s only been six weeks.”

Carter’s responsive glower was directed behind the camera. “I  _ know  _ that. Just- hold the camera still.” His attention refocused on them and he cleared his throat again. “Anyway, um, we would like to- that is, you’ve been cordially invited to attend-”

Another off-screen snort, louder this time. The camera actually dropped away from Carter, pointing down at the tiled patio flooring where a set of combat boots could be seen poking into the edge of the frame.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Sadie was saying, voice strained as if she was holding back a laugh. “But ‘ _ cordially invited _ ’? Gods, what are we in the sixteenth century or something? Here, you hold this and I’ll do the talking.”

The screen was a blur as the camera was shoved into Carter’s hands, an undignified yelp of “Sadie!” accompanying the dizzying angle change. When it stabilized, Sadie was now in the centerfold, the girl sporting a bright red shirt and black leather jacket. The younger Kane sibling saluted the camera sloppily, a wide grin creasing her face.

“What’s up Demi-Geeks! Sadie here, you know, the  _ cooler _ Kane.” Another noise of protest by her brother was fully ignored as Sadie continued talking. “What my brother was trying and failing to say, is that you lot have been summoned to partake in the most amazing, intense, spectacular, world-changing trial by combat, the likes of which have never before been seen!” Sadie spread her hands out to either side with a dramatic flair. “A challenge of monumental proportions that no god could ever conceive in their wildest dreams, a fight to the bitter end: The Cosmos Championship!”

“It’s the _ Brooklyn House Tournament _ .”

Sadie rolled her eyes, arms dropping. “We both agreed that was a lame title.”

“No,  _ you _ said it was lame-”

“Anyhoo! It’s gonna go down next weekend at the Twenty-First nome, be there, or else be dubbed infinitely inferior for all eternity.” She winked, a smirk tugging at her mouth. “It’s time to see which of us is _ truly _ the strongest: demigod or magician? Don’t be late!”

The screen cut to black.

The three demigods remained quiet for a moment following the end of the message. Leo was the one who eventually broke it, a frown in his voice. “Demi-Geeks? Um… I am a  _ full _ geek, thank you very much.”

“Sounds like fun.” Percy smiled.

“You’re not seriously considering going?” Annabeth glanced at Percy, “Are you?”

Her boyfriend shrugged. “We don’t have anything else to do at the moment.”

“I’m not saying it won't be fun but, look, back when the whole Hathor thing was happening, Carter said they had some of their people away for school.” Annabeth said. “They’re probably back now that the semester is over, and no matter how careful we are, some of them are bound to ask questions about our- y’know, being Greek demigods. Or they’ll at least notice that we’re  _ not _ magicians.”

Percy’s hopeful expression crumbled. “I guess…”

Damn him. It was that hurt puppy-dog look. The one look Percy knew Annabeth couldn’t resist trying to appease: even if he wasn’t currently directing it her way. The fact of the matter was that he was still wearing it on his face. Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh:  _ maybe _ they could find a way to go.

She looked back at Leo. “You said there was a note too?”

The Son of Hephaestus nodded, pulling out the carefully folded piece of parchment and handing it over. Annabeth unfolded it, feeling Percy wrap his arms around her back and tuck his chin on her shoulder, reading along as she read aloud:

_ Hello, Carter again, _

_ A note of clarification, as my sister forgot to mention some important things (no big surprise there). Firstly, the Brooklyn House Tournament will be a friendly bout of sparring rounds: not a fight-to-the-death as Sadie may have implied. Secondly, rest assured we have not shared your heritage with the entire 21st Nome. The only ones in attendance will be those who are already aware of your existence (Cleo will be chaperoning the rest of our initiates on an educational exploration of Thoth's Library in Tennessee) so your secret will be safe. Lastly, please understand that there is no pressure to attend, the choice is completely yours, but we would be honored to have your company. _

_ Hope to see you next Friday! _

_ Carter Kane _

_ (A.K.A. The smarter Kane) _

“Honored to have your company,” Leo repeated with a chuckle. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but Sadie might be right about her brother being a few centuries behind.”

“You see?” Percy gestured to the note. “They  _ are _ being careful. Honestly, I don’t see a reason not to go.” At Annabeth’s continued hesitance, he nudged her in the side. “C’mon, you don’t want to be dubbed the ‘infinitely inferior’ to a bunch of kids, do you?”

A grin finally cracked her lips. “That would be pretty sad, wouldn’t it. Okay, we’ll go.” Percy smiled like a kid in a candy store, leaning over to smack a kiss on her cheek. What she said next, however, put a small damper on his sudden surge of elation. “Next weekend, huh? Looks like we’ve got a week to train up.”

Twin looks of horror descended on the boys.

“Wait… training?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Again, I should be done writing it by Christmas, and then I'll start uploading the chapters. It'll probably be ~4-6 chapters long in total.
> 
> Have a great rest of the year!!!  
> <3


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